Cancer researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have utilized tools used for the advancement of cancer immunotherapies and adapted them to identify regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Furthermore, the scientists used this approach to target with a vaccine, using the same method in eliciting an immune response against cancer cells.
The mechanism was then used to stimulate an immune response against the virus. The researchers believe that by using this approach, a resulting vaccine would provide protection across the human population and cause a long-term immune reaction.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine on June 5, 2020.
When Cancer Crosses with COVID-19
According to the senior author of the study, John M. Maris, MD, cancer behaves similarly to a virus. The pediatric oncologist in CHOP's Cancer Center and the Giulio D'Angio Professor of Pediatric Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania explains how the team decided to use the tools they developed to identify uncommon aspects of childhood cancers.
These features were then used as targets with immunotherapies that can be applied to the same tools used to determine the correct protein sequences to target in SARS-CoV-2.
By using tools developed and polished by the lead author, Mark Yarmarkovich, Ph.D. in the Maris Lab, the team prioritized targets based on their capability to stimulate a lasting immune response. The researchers believe that their approach provides a roadmap for a vaccine that would be both safe and effective. Furthermore, they are optimistic that it could be produced on a large scale.
Moreover, the pandemic has led to an urgent need for the development of a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus. The authors of the study aim to come up with an optimally designed vaccine that maximizes a long-lasting immune response. At the same time, they aspire to create a vaccine that minimizes adverse reactions, autoimmunity, or disease exacerbation.
Searching for a Vaccine to Combat Coronavirus
The research team arranged parameters to identify regions of the virus to target to increase the likelihood of the vaccine being both safe and effective. The researchers then searched for domains that would stimulate a memory T-cell response. Furthermore, they ensured that when paired with the right B cells, it would drive memory B cell formation and provide lasting immunity to the majority of human genomes.
The researchers targeted regions of SARS-CoV-2 seen across multiple related coronaviruses, as well as new mutations that increase infectivity. At the same time, they also ensured that those regions were as different from each other as possible from naturally occurring sequences in humans to ensure safety.
The researchers have proposed a list of about 65 peptide sequences that offer the highest probability of providing population-scale immunity when targeted. As a next step, the team is looking at numerous combinations of these sequences in mouse models to determine their safety and effectiveness.
Furthermore, Yarmarkovich says that if their approach becomes successful, it could lead to protection against not only SARS-CoV-2 but also other coronaviruses that might come up in the future.
