Orally Administered Bioadherent Sustained Release Microencapsulated Vaccines

Parenteral vaccines have many limitations which pose problems for both military and civilian vaccination programs. Parenteral vaccines must be administered by trained personnel, a booster is generally required for maximum protection, they usually contain a single immunogen and require refrigeration. Bioadherent sustained release microencapsulated (BSRM) vaccines for oral administration will eliminate many of the parenteral vaccine limitations. The proposed work will utilize recombinant Fasciola hepatica proteins, to form a BSRM staphlococcal enterotoxin vaccine for oral administration. The Fasciola recombinant proteins were selected because of their natural long term, single dose protection without requiring administration by trained personnel. Further, a multivalent vaccine could be designed by loading SBRMs containing different immunogens into an outer capsule (i.e., gelatine) for administration. In Phase I, the in vivo gastrointestinal retention time, diffusion kinetics and serum antibody titers for a BSRM staphlococcus enterotoxin vaccine will be evaluated. In Phase II, the porosity, bioadherence and final packaging of the SBRM will be optimized.