Application of the SPLANDID antigen presentation technology to HIV-1 vaccine development

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) is a transmembrane protein sitting in the viral membrane and it is also a major target for B-cell based vaccine development. Previous large clinical trials of vaccine candidates involving recombinant Env preparations mostly focused on various soluble forms of its ectodomain. These efforts have been disappointing, however, probably because we do not fully understand how effective antibodies are generated in some infected patients and what is the best form of the Env that can induce such an antibody response by vaccination. To facilitate Env immunogen design, we have recently developed an antigen presentation technology known as SPLANDID that allows presentation of transmembrane immunogens in a membrane environment on nanoparticles suitable for in vivo immunogenicity studies. This HMS patented technology now affords the opportunity to test novel HIV-1 Env immunogens that include the membrane-related components in a membrane environment and better mimic the native Env on the virion surface. We plan to use the new technology to display membrane-bound Env immunogens and evaluate their potential as vaccine candidates by defining their antigenicity in vitro and testing their immunogenicity in animals.