Hybrid bacteriophage platforms for the production of non-invasive, self-adjuvanted, and targeted DNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

Our project aims to design and develop COVID19 vaccines engineered from viruses that infect bacterial cells only. SARS-CoV2 pathogenic components have been identified and modified to develop the vaccine. Although these components are pathogenic in nature, they are modified to pose no harm. The vaccine is designed to be administered intranasally, where it relocates to the lower respiratory tract. Upon reaching respiratory cells, the vaccine binds to respiratory cells and delivers the carried component. The delivered component will self-assemble into a SARS-CoV2 shape mimic. The released SARS-CoV2 mimic is picked up by immune cells and then generates an immune response. The SARS-CoV2 also has the ability to compete with the virulent SARS-CoV2 on cellular binding sites thus preventing the later infective mechanism.

Faculty Supervisor:

Roderick Slavcev;Marc Aucoin

Student:

Salma Jimenez Badillo;Harika Nagireddy;Shirley Wong

Partner:

Theraphage

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Waterloo