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Spray Drying of Bacterial Membrane Vesicles for Vaccine Delivery
Gregor Fuhrmann1,2, Mina Mehanny3
1Department of Biology, Pharmaceutical Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. gregor.fuhrmann@fau.de.
Abstract:
Extracellular vesicles are nanosized lipid-bilayered spheres secreted from every living cell and they serve physiological and pathophysiological functions. Bacterial membrane vesicles are shed from both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and harbor many virulence factors, nuclear material, polysaccharides, proteins, and antigenic determinants, which are essential for immune recognition and evasion. Hence, bacterial membrane vesicles are very promising vaccine candidates. Spray drying is a well-established pharmaceutical technique to produce inhalable dry powders with enhanced stability for formulations of vaccines. In this chapter, we illustrate general guidelines for spray drying of bacterial extracellular vesicles to improve their stability without compromising their immunogenic protective effect. We discuss some of the most important experiments to characterize the generated spray-dried bacterial membrane vesicle powder vaccine.
Insights
Spray drying stabilizes bacterial extracellular vesicles for improved vaccine formulations. This method enhances vaccine stability without compromising their protective immune response, making them promising vaccine candidates.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
Background:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-secreted nanoparticles with crucial physiological roles.
- Bacterial EVs contain virulence factors and antigens, making them potent vaccine candidates.
- Current vaccine formulations face stability challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide guidelines for spray drying bacterial EVs.
- To enhance the stability of bacterial EV vaccines.
- To maintain the immunogenic properties of bacterial EVs post-formulation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing spray drying, a pharmaceutical technique for creating dry powders.
- Applying general guidelines for processing bacterial extracellular vesicles.
- Characterizing the resulting spray-dried bacterial membrane vesicle powder vaccine.
Main Results:
- Spray drying yields stable, inhalable dry powders of bacterial EVs.
- The process preserves the immunogenic protective effect of the vesicles.
- Characterization methods confirm the integrity and potential efficacy of the vaccine powder.
Conclusions:
- Spray drying is a viable method for stabilizing bacterial EV vaccines.
- This technique offers enhanced stability crucial for vaccine formulation and delivery.
- Optimized spray drying can lead to effective and stable bacterial-based vaccines.
