In the race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, researchers around the world are using a wide range of strategies, from first-of-their-kind mRNA approaches to tried-and-true inactivated vaccines to oral, nasal and probiotic-based formulations.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln virologist Asit Pattnaik is eyeing yet another approach. With support from the Office of Research and Economic Development’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program, Pattnaik is beginning to develop a vaccine framework that exploits the properties of a naturally occurring nanoparticle in an effort to produce a stronger, longer-lasting immune response than other vaccine candidates. He’s also taking a closer look at how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, inhibits the immune system.
Tom Petro, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a member of the Nebraska Center for Virology, is partnering with Pattnaik on the project.
The team’s vaccine work capitalizes on a protein called ferritin, which is produced by almost all living organisms. In humans, ferritin is the primary iron storage protein and guards against iron deficiency or surplus. It’s shaped like a symmetrical hollow sphere, or nanocage, built of 24 protein subunits. This cage structure, which Pattnaik calls a “spherical football,” makes ferritin unusually stable, allowing it to withstand variable temperatures and chemical environments.
https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/researchers-aim-to-use-protein-to-ramp-up-covid-19-antigens-impact/
