An Automated Strategy to Handle Antigenic Variability in Immunisation Protocols, Part I: Nanopore Sequencing of...

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Bioinformatics
• Immunology and Vaccinology
• Infectious Disease Research

Background:

• Infectious agents present therapeutic challenges due to antibiotic resistance and antigenic variability.
• Genome sequencing, particularly whole-genome-sequencing (WGS), has become crucial for tracking pathogens and understanding viral evolution.
• Past outbreaks like Ebola and Zika, and the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, highlight the need for rapid vaccine development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, fully automated strategy for addressing antigenic variability in immunisation protocols.
• To detail the nanopore sequencing method for identifying infectious agent variants, focusing on SARS-CoV-2.
• To lay the groundwork for subsequent mRNA vector design for immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing nanopore sequencing for rapid genome sequencing of infectious agent variants.
• Focusing on the analysis of SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants.
• Integrating sequencing data into a two-step automated strategy for vaccine development.

Main Results:

• The study presents the nanopore sequencing component of the automated strategy.
• This method enables swift identification of genetic changes in pathogens.
• The approach is designed to accelerate the adaptation of immunisation protocols.

Conclusions:

• Genome sequencing is a vital tool for combating infectious diseases and developing effective vaccines.
• The presented automated strategy, starting with nanopore sequencing, offers a faster response to emerging viral threats.
• This work facilitates the design of more robust immunisation assays against evolving pathogens.