Description
The main objective of this project is to test the adjuvanticity of the type I IFN inducing STING agonist cGAMP to enhance the induction of potent immunity against HIV using a mRNA LNP based vaccine plateform. mRNA vaccines have been recognized as an effective vaccine strategy. Increasing preclinical and clinical results have demonstrated that mRNA vaccines and are safe in animal models and humans, and induce humoral and cellular immune responses able to prevent severe infectious diseases. However, the use of adjuvants may be needed to improve their efficacy, in particular in the context of HIV-1 infection, which requires the induction of functionally optimal immune responses to block HIV-1 acquisition and control viral replication. The adjuvanticity of the STING agonist cGAMP for mRNA LNP vaccines will be evaluated in this project. We propose here to develop a strategy combining the novelty of mRNA LNP approaches together with promising STING agonist adjuvants, and assess its immunogenicity using in vitro and in vivo approaches
