Conjugation of Multiple Proteins Onto the Surface of PLGA/Lipid Hybrid Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanoparticles are increasingly being used in the development of vaccines for disease prevention or treatment. Recent research has demonstrated that conjugating a protein onto the surface of nanoparticles can significantly increase its immunogenicity. Considering various pathogens that threaten human health, multivalent vaccines are often desirable. Up to now, nanoparticle-based vaccines are mostly limited to one protein per nanoparticle. No research has been conducted to explore the possibility of conjugating more than one protein onto the surface of a nanoparticle. Here we developed a specific conjugation strategy to conjugate multiple proteins to the PLGA/lipid hybrid nanoparticle surface. The maleimide-thiol Michael addition, Aizde-DBCO (Dibenzocyclooctyne), and TCO (trans-cycloctene)-Tetrazine click chemistry were employed to conjugate three different proteins, subunit keyhole limpet hemocyanin (sKLH), Ovalbumin (OVA), and cross-reactive material 197 (CRM₁₉₇), to the surface of PLGA/lipid hybrid nanoparticles (hNPs). The successful results of this study pave the way for developing multivalent vaccines against different pathogens.