Lipokel
for TLR2-mediated DC delivery of recombinant subunit vaccines in vivo
A third platform technology being developed by Lipotek is a versatile module that enables DC-specific delivery of protein or subunit vaccines in a self-adjuvanting context. Lipokel comprises the lipid moiety, Pam2Cys, which is linked to the chelating entity 3NTA. In this manner, the 3NTA moiety couples histidine-tagged protein antigens to the TLR2 ligand Pam2Cys.
The vehicle is suitable for the precise targeting of any oligo or poly-histidine-tagged antigen to DCs. The vehicle ensures that DCs are suitably activated when the antigen cargo is delivered, fulfilling the two most important criteria for an effective vaccine. The Lipokel approach allows large recombinant proteins to be used for DC-targeted vaccination thereby overcoming the limitations of many existing protein and subunit-based vaccination strategies that often require the use of toxic adjuvants.
Strategic collaborations are also sought for the development of this platform technology.
