Microbiology professor Daniel Stein (left) and Chemistry professor Philip DeShong (right) have modified soap bubbles to increase the efficiency in the production of vaccines.

Microbiology professor Daniel Stein (left) and Chemistry professor Philip DeShong (right) have modified soap bubbles to increase the efficiency in the production of vaccines.

Aside from the public debate about side effects some attribute to vaccines, the day-to-day use of immunizations against bacterial disease and viral infection means expensive preparation for companies and sore arms for patients.

But two university professors are developing a method that could solve both problems and begin a new paradigm for vaccination. Their idea: vaccine delivery via soap bubbles.

Chemistry professor Phillip DeShong and cell biology and molecular genetics professor Daniel Stein said they used their combined knowledge of different fields to synthesize bubbles of soap-like nanoparticles that are coated with antigens. This should allow the immune system to be exposed to the antigens of viruses and diseases in a safer way, they said.

The two founded SD Nanosciences in 2006 through the Office of Technology Commercialization, which helps researchers at this university commercialize their technology by establishing startup companies. In recent years, they have increased their focus on this vaccine technology and found more success, DeShong said.

“You get a shot, what’s the first thing that happens? Your arm swells up. It gets hot. That’s reactogenicity,” DeShong said.

The researchers are looking at delivering components in a way that not only protects people against disease or infection, but also wouldn’t cause them pain or discomfort in the short term, he said.

Jonathan Dinman, professor and chairman of the cell biology and molecular genetics department, said this works because typical vaccines involve viral proteins that are left in your muscle and quickly cleaned up. These nanoparticles would stay in the body longer, he said, but would leak out antigens more slowly over time.

“It’s very smart in that it solves the problem of keeping the antigen, the foreign protein, around long enough without causing so much inflammation that you have a sore or an abscess,” said Dinman, who is not involved in the research. “It straddles that fine line.”

Along with making vaccination a bit more pleasant for people on the receiving end of the needle, DeShong said it could also ease production.

Normally, vaccine preparation requires many people wearing chemical suits and spending an enormous amount of time preparing eggs and other components in completely sterile conditions, he said.

“Our vaccine components are basically two different soap components,” he said. “You pour them together, you shake them up, and you’re ready to go.”

Antigens still must be prepared for each vaccine, but DeShong said the new technology would make that relatively simple and inexpensive. After they have the antigen, there are just three components to mix together, he said.

This kind of vaccine delivery also could allow for greater protection against dangerous infections and diseases, Stein said.

“One of the biggest challenges in vaccination today is delivering carbohydrate antigens, LPS, because LPS is highly toxic,” he said.

LPS, a component of Gram-negative bacteria, is part of a highly toxic membrane that is responsible for conditions such as septic shock. Vaccines today intentionally come without LPS because it is seen as harmful even as a vaccine, but Stein said they might have found a way to deliver it safely.

“Our technology seems to have the ability to deliver that highly toxic molecule in a useful way that’s nonreactogenic,” he said.

Other companies try hard to simplify their vaccines to avoid dangerous components like LPS, Stein said, but in doing so, they sacrifice effectiveness. The Food and Drug Administration has only ever approved vaccines without LPS, and Stein said that, while getting approval would be a challenge, he is confident in the vaccine delivery method, which he said could have wide applications.

“It seems like we can incorporate lots of things into our soap bubbles to make the vaccine much broader coverage than a single monovalent vaccine, made of a single chemical component,” he said.

DeShong and Stein said they have been happy exploring this technology as a commercial venture through their own company. Years ago, they had difficulty getting their work funded, but now it is building steam and attracting investors. They have received funding from MedImmune to continue their work, and they recently hired a financial manager and are looking to continue expanding, Stein said.

They are currently working on a few projects, one of which involves a vaccine for the pathogen Francisella, which they have successfully tested on mice. Francisella is a potential weapon in biowarfare, Stein said, and they recently met with the Defense Department to discuss the vaccine.

They also are looking into ways to deliver drugs using the same bubble technology.

“When you talk to companies and investors right now they’re like, ‘You’re nuts,’” Stein said. “But when we have data that shows you can safely deliver LPS to an animal, all the sudden people are thinking, ‘Maybe these guys aren’t so crazy.’”