Live attenuated vaccines are considered among the most
powerful tools for disease control and potentially disease eradication. Although
vaccines have made a major contribution to public health, there are still
significant deaths from diseases for which vaccines are not available. There is
a need to develop better, safer, and cheaper vaccines capable for promoting
long-lasting protection.
Melha Mellata at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State
University has developed compositions and methods for using regulated,
toxin/antitoxin systems in live Salmonella typ. bacterium as a directed
anti-cancer treatment and for antigen delivery. Antigen delivery and cells lysis
are acheived at designated sites in host cells by controlling the ratio of toxin
and antitoxin present in the host cell with appropriate promoters. Moreover, to
insure the eradication of tumor cells, this system will be designed to highly
express toxins of toxin/antitoxin systems capable of causing apoptosis in cancer
cells, while protecting normal cells from death by expression of its antitoxin.
This system can be modified to suit a number of different
needs for antigen delivery. If successful this delayed-lysis system will improve
the safety and the efficiency of live vaccines and confer an economic benefic by
saving lives and billion of dollars to the health care.
Potential Applications
- Anti-cancer vaccine
- Antigen delivery
Benefits and Advantages
- Allows vaccine/treatment vectors to specifically target
the designed specific sites
- Low or no effect on other part of the
host.
Download Original PDF
For more information about the inventor(s) and their
research, please see
Dr.
Mellata's directory webpage
