NU 2022-192 

INVENTORS 

Neha P. Kamat* 

Vivian Hu 

BACKGROUND 

Virus infection posts a recurring global health challenge, and vaccines remain an effective protective against virus threats. However, many current vaccines face limitations including potential conversion of inactivated virus into pathogenic virus, immunogenicity of recombinant proteins, and instability of gene-based vaccines. Northwestern researchers utilized a cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) approach to manufacture protein vaccines against viral diseases. Addition of liposomes to the CFPS system enables the typically difficult cell-free synthesis of viral membrane proteins by providing a scaffold for translational expression and protein folding, which results in the one-step assembly of lipid nanoparticles displaying viral membrane proteins. The viral mimetic lipid nanoparticles are compatible with multivalent viral protein expression and bypass the need for cold chain manufacturing and storage, representing a rapid and easy method of vaccine development.  

IP STATUS 

A PCT patent application has been filed.