The objective of the current Project is the development of innovative peptide-based nanovaccines for preventing and controlling leishmaniasis caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania which are endemic in tropical and subtropical areas, as well as in the Mediterranean basin, and are transmitted through the bite of infected phlebotomine sandflies. Current treatment based on chemotherapy is expensive and highly toxic, and often ineffective due to parasite's drug resistance. The development of a safe vaccine is thought to be, worldwide, the most effective and economic way to eliminate and control the disease, and thereby it attracts social and financial interest. In the context of this Project, candidate vaccines will be constructed using biocompatible self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems with adjuvant properties for the encapsulation of multi-epitope peptides derived from immunogenic Leishmania proteins upon performing a combined approach based on reverse vaccinology and proteomics.
The implementation of the Project will be achieved under the supervision of Hellenic Pasteur Institute through the collaboration of three partners with activity in complementary scientific fields, such as nanomaterial science, parasitology, molecular biology and immunology, as well as Public Health-related services serving the concept of the "One Health Initiative", the development of new products that could be commercially exploited and promoted via domestic and export activities. The Project's deliverables are innovative technological achievements of high interest to the international scientific community and manufacturers. Beyond their contribution to the efforts made towards the development of a vaccine against leishmaniasis, these products will provide novel patterns in vaccinology which can be expanded in other infectious diseases caused by intracellular pathogens or in cancer. The successful completion of the Project can enrich company's product pipeline with a new candidate product. Moreover, 5 new jobs (5 HPI, 2 CERTH) are also being created, thus offering highly specialized training to new scientists and enhancement of their academic and professional profile.
