Abstract

Acute otitis media (AOM), or ear infections, are highly prevalent in children, with nearly 80% experiencing at least one AOM by the age of three. As such, there is an urgent need for a vaccine against Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), a main cause of AOM in the US. Most vaccines contain multiple antigens from the pathogen, inducing an immune response and antibodies to those antigens. Here, we describe a novel approach to creating a vaccine against NTHi, incorporating a unique recombinant trivalent protein (Tri) featuring three NTHi antigens (OMP26, P6, and protein F) in a single peptide chain with an N-terminal signal sequence, contained within an extracellular vesicle (EV) produced by Escherichia coli (E. coli). The N-terminal signal sequence was added to this trivalent peptide to lipidate the trivalent protein and shuttle it to the E.coli membrane. We produced and characterized the Tri-EV to confirm the presence of all three NTHi antigens in the EV. Preliminary findings suggest that Tri-EV contains all three antigenic components, and vaccination with the Tri-EV produces antibodies to those antigens in mice. Continued work on this promising vaccine candidate will provide insight as we look to develop effective EV-based vaccines against relevant pathogens.

Publication Date

3-7-2025

Document Type

Master's Project

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Health and Well-being Management (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition

College

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Advisor

Lea Vacca Michel

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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