Group A Streptococcus (GAS) and its related diseases are responsible for 500,000 deaths worldwide each year. Similarities between GAS surface proteins and human heart proteins result in an autoimmune response, leading to GAS-associated diseases including rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Children from remote Australian communities in the North Territory and Northern Queensland are reported to suffer the highest reported incidence of RHD in the world. Problems in treating GAS infection with antibiotics have prompted research into the development of a vaccine against GAS. Currently, there are no licensed GAS vaccine available.
Previous studies into subunit peptide based vaccines have shown peptide epitopes (J8, 88/30 and NS1) located on the GAS M protein to lead to protective immune responses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the addition of the lipid core peptide (LCP) and dendritic cell targeting peptide (DCpep) in a self-adjuvanting vaccine delivery system.
Here, I will present the successful synthesis and purification of a multi-peptide epitope vaccine candidate containing J8, NS1, 88/30, LCP and DCpep in a single construct. Future studies aim to test the cytotoxicity and in vitro immune response of this multi-component vaccine construct.