Structural Design and Immunogenicity of a Novel Self-Adjuvanting Mucosal Vaccine Candidate for SARS-CoV-2 Expressed in Plants.

ABSTRACT: Mucosal vaccination for COVID-19 to boost preexisting though insufficient systemic and local/mucosal immunity remains an attractive prospect but there are currently no licensed mucosal vaccines against this infection. Here, using a plant expression system, we developed a novel mucosal vaccine platform for respiratory viruses and demonstrated its application in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to the antigen itself, the PCF (Platform CTB-Fc) vaccine candidate incorporates two molecular adjuvants, the IgG-Fc antibody fragment and the nontoxic cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), with the first targeting the vaccine to IgG receptors on antigen-presenting cells, and the second providing local adjuvanticity by targeting cellular gangliosides in the mucosae. We demonstrated that this v

SUBMITTER: Kim MY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12854891 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature