Leishmania-based carrier for vaccine delivery
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a composition for delivering a protein vaccination candidate to a mammalian subject having a Leishmania transfected for expressing a cDNA sequence for encoding the protein vaccination candidate, and the Leishmania containing a photosensitizer.
1. A composition comprising:
a non-porphyric Leishmania transfected for expressing a cDNA sequence for encoding a protein vaccination candidate, the Leishmania containing a silicon-phthalocyanine or zinc-phthalocyanine photosensitizer; and
an isolated mammalian antigen presenting cell having an endocytic compartment, a mitochondrion, a plasma membrane, the non-porphric Leishmania positioned in the cell, and a MHC Class I epitope containing a fragment of the protein vaccination candidate on an outer surface of the plasma membrane.
2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the non-porhphric Leishmania having been exposed to light to photo-inactivate the Leishmania.
3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the non-porhphric Leishmania resides in the endocytic compartment of the cell.
4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the phthalocyanine is modified by a functional group selected from anilinium, pyridyloxy, axial ligands, and polyethylene glycol.
5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the photosensitizer is cationic and soluble.
6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the antigen presenting cell is a dendritic cell or a macrophage.
7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the photosensitizer is present in a concentration that is toxic to the non-porhphric Leishmania but not the mammalian cell.