Yeast-based vaccines: New perspective in vaccine development and application

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Vaccinology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Conventional vaccines rely on killed or attenuated organisms, requiring extensive culturing, long incubation, and costly storage.
• Peptide-based vaccines offer an alternative but yeast-based systems present unique advantages for immunogen production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the advancements in yeast-based vaccine development over the past two decades.
• To highlight the potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris as platforms for therapeutic protein expression and vaccine design.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of research on yeast systems for vaccine development.
• Focus on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris for heterologous protein expression.
• Exploration of novel strategies including whole recombinant yeast, yeast surface display, and virus-like particles.

Main Results:

• Yeast species offer advantages like complete genome sequences, genetic tractability, natural adjuvants, and non-pathogenicity.
• S. cerevisiae and P. pastoris are established for expressing therapeutic proteins against infectious diseases and cancer.
• Emerging strategies like yeast surface display and virus-like particles show promise.

Conclusions:

• Yeast-based vaccine platforms provide a cost-effective and efficient alternative to conventional methods.
• Yeast cell wall components can act as immune stimulators, enhancing vaccine efficacy.
• Yeast-based vaccines are progressing through clinical trials for various applications.