A. James Clark School of Engineering

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

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    Self-assembly of immune signals to program innate immunity through rational adjuvant design
    (Wiley, 2022-11-14) Bookstaver, Michelle L.; Zeng, Qin; Oakes, Robert S.; Kapnick, Senta M.; Saxena, Vikas; Edwards, Camilla; Venkataraman, Nishedhya; Black, Sheneil K.; Zeng, Xiangbin; Froimchuk, Eugene; Gebhardt, Thomas; Bromberg, Jonathan S.; Jewell, Christopher M.
    Recent clinical studies show activating multiple innate immune pathways drives robust responses in infection and cancer. Biomaterials offer useful features to deliver multiple cargos, but add translational complexity and intrinsic immune signatures that complicate rational design. Here a modular adjuvant platform is created using self-assembly to build nanostructured capsules comprised entirely of antigens and multiple classes of toll-like receptor agonists (TLRas). These assemblies sequester TLR to endolysosomes, allowing programmable control over the relative signaling levels transduced through these receptors. Strikingly, this combinatorial control of innate signaling can generate divergent antigen-specific responses against a particular antigen. These assemblies drive reorganization of lymph node stroma to a pro-immune microenvironment, expanding antigen-specific T cells. Excitingly, assemblies built from antigen and multiple TLRas enhance T cell function and antitumor efficacy compared to ad-mixed formulations or capsules with a single TLRa. Finally, capsules built from a clinically relevant human melanoma antigen and up to three TLRa classes enable simultaneous control of signal transduction across each pathway. This creates a facile adjuvant design platform to tailor signaling for vaccines and immunotherapies without using carrier components. The modular nature supports precision juxtaposition of antigen with agonists relevant for several innate receptor families, such as toll, STING, NOD, and RIG.
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    Reprogramming the Local Lymph Node Microenvironment Promotes Tolerance that Is Systemic and Antigen Specific
    (Cell Press, 2016-09-13) Tostanoski, Lisa H.; Chiu, Yu-Chieh; Gammon, Joshua M.; Simon, Thomas; Andorko, James I.; Bromberg, Jonathan S.; Jewell, Christopher M.
    Many experimental therapies for autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), aim to bias T cells toward tolerogenic phenotypes without broad suppression. However, the link between local signal integration in lymph nodes (LNs) and the specificity of systemic tolerance is not well understood. We used intra-LN injection of polymer particles to study tolerance as a function of signals in the LN microenvironment. In a mouse MS model, intra-LN introduction of encapsulated myelin self-antigen and a regulatory signal (rapamycin) permanently reversed paralysis after one treatment during peak disease. Therapeutic effects were myelin specific, required antigen encapsulation, and were less potent without rapamycin. This efficacy was accompanied by local LN reorganization, reduced inflammation, systemic expansion of regulatory T cells, and reduced T cell infiltration to the CNS. Our findings suggest that local control over signaling in distinct LNs can promote cell types and functions that drive tolerance that is systemic but antigen specific.