Synthetic glycan conjugates with bacteriophage Qbeta for broad spectrum anti-salmonella vaccines

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Salmonella infections (salmonellosis) are a major public health problem throughout the world. With the emergence of multidrug resistant Salmonella strains, there is a pressing need for new methods to prevent salmonellosis. As there are characteristic carbohydrate structures on the surface of Salmonella bacteria, in this project, a collaborative team is formed to develop effective carbohydrate based anti-Salmonella vaccines. Instead of relying on isolated carbohydrates from the pathogenic bacteria, in aim 1, synthetic strategies will be developed to produce structure well defined Salmonella glycans from major pathogenic serovars. In aim 2, Salmonella glycans will be conjugated with a virus like particle, bacteriophage Qβ as potential vaccines targeting specific pathogenic Salmonella strains. This is supported by promising preliminary results that the Qβ glycan conjugates were able to induce high titers (over 80 million ELISA units in rabbits) and long lasting anti-glycan IgG antibodies, which could provide complete protection to mice from lethal challenges by Salmonella bacteria. Building on these results, the Qβ carrier will be engineered to enhance its abilities to further boost anti-Salmonella immune responses. In aim 3, a broad spectrum anti- Salmonella vaccine will be developed, which can provide powerful protection against multiple types of major pathogenic Salmonella by a single vaccine. This can complement well the strain specific vaccines. This work can lead to an exciting new direction for anti-Salmonella vaccine development, providing a much needed new arsenal in fighting salmonellosis.