According to the University of Gdańsk Technology Transfer Office, the patent covers “Sequences of recombinant flavivirus virus-like particles and their medical application for preventing Zika virus infections.”

Zika virus infection, transmitted primarily by mosquitoes, is usually mild or asymptomatic. In pregnant women, however, it can cause serious congenital defects. There is currently no approved vaccine against the virus, and most vaccine candidates remain “in the preclinical or early clinical stages,” according to the university.

The patented solution is based on “recombinant flavivirus protein antigens in the form of virus-like particles, which could be used as the basis for future vaccines and in diagnostic tests.”

“Recombinant flavivirus protein antigens are created by combining selected regions of the structural proteins of the Zika virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus,” said Ewelina Król, PhD, a professor at the University of Gdańsk, quoted in a press release. “This combination enables efficient protein production in various gene expression systems in cells.”

She added that the approach supports the formation of virus-like particles (VLPs) that display conformational epitopes on their surfaces.

According to the press release, “the production of recombinant antigens does not require handling live virus, which significantly reduces costs and increases the safety of the process.” The technology also includes methods for purifying the antigens from eukaryotic cells on a laboratory scale, with the possibility of scaling up production to a semi-industrial level.

The invention is protected by patents in Poland and under the international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system.

The research team was led by Król and included Bogusław Szewczyk, PhD, also a professor at the University of Gdańsk, as well as Gabriela Brzuska, PhD, and Anna Czarnota, PhD. (PAP)

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