An Attenuated Vaccine for Lyme Disease

Project ID: TECH2026-05

Background

Lyme disease is caused by the gram-negative spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, as well as other Borrelia species within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group.  B. burgdorferi is known to alter its virulence protein expression profiles depending on its environment.  Numerous studies have shown environmental differences in expression of vital genes such as ospA, ospC, erp, and rpoS/rpoN affecting infectivity and behavior of the bacteria, underling the importance of environment when evaluating B. burgdorferi infection dynamics.  Importantly, ospA encodes an outer surface protein that is typically highly-expressed within the tick, and ospC expression is upregulated upon feeding and is dominant in a mammalian environment.

Although no commercial vaccine is currently available for human use against B. burgdorferi, there has been considerable effort in its research and development.  The most common strategy currently is based on using OspA as a target.  Strategies include use of multiple OspA strain variants in a multimeric vaccine and the design of OspA mRNA targets.  While these have shown some promise, the reliance on OspA as a target necessitates high circulating titers at the time of a tick bite, as the mechanism inactivates OspA-expressing B. burgdorferi in the tick prior to its transfer into the mammalian host.  Design of antigenic targets expressed inside a mammalian host would be useful to extend the window of vaccine efficacy.  A vaccine against the bacteria as it replicates in humans and domestic animals would be beneficial.

Description

Researchers at the University of Toledo have developed a highly effective and attenuated vaccine against Lyme disease.

Attenuated vaccines are considered some the most effective vaccines currently used.

Applications

• Novel vaccine to inoculate against Lyme disease.

Advantages

• Our patent includes the discovery of a mutant of Borrelia burgdorferi, with impaired motility properties, which renders it unable to cause permanent infection, making it ideal for an attenuated vaccine
• Attenuated vaccines more closely mimic a natural infection and produces a wider range of antibody-specificities.
• Our approach offers broader antibody responses and recognizes many more mammalian host-relevant bacterial antigens than OspA-based vaccines.

IP Status:                   Patent Pending

Keywords:      Lyme disease, Lyme borreliosis, vaccine, attenuated.