Bioengineering Protein Nanocages into Multi-target Vaccines for Alzheimer’s Disease

Project summary 

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterised by the clumping of abnormal proteins in the brain, which increases over time and leads to worsening cognitive decline. Vaccines could prevent the onset of Alzheimer's by stimulating a patient’s immune system to selectively target and degrade AD-causing proteins. Previous clinical trials showed that vaccines could clear some problematic proteins from the brain but failed to stop cognitive decline. These clinical failures may be due to these vaccines targeting only one abnormal protein at a time, even though multiple proteins interact to progress AD, and that their identities and prevalence differ between patients and change over time. 

Researchers from the School of Life Sciences, and their collaborators, have begun to transform AD vaccine development using tiny unique nanoparticles, called protein nanocages. These modifiable nanocages can be readily adapted into vaccines capable of simultaneously targeting multiple abnormal proteins in the brain. This unique therapeutic strategy comprehensively combats the entire spectrum of AD-causing proteins, promising enhanced efficacy and protection against the disease. 

In this project, Associate Professor Andrew Care and his team are developing and manufacturing a large set of nanocage vaccines that target different abnormal proteins associated with AD. They then test the capacity of these nanocage vaccines, alone or in combination, to prevent the onset of AD in a clinically relevant humanised mouse model. 

This research is poised to represent a major breakthrough in the fight against AD. It will pave the way for the development of a vaccine that is safe, effective and affordable, offering significant benefits to millions of individuals at risk of AD. 

Key collaborators  

• A/Prof. Bernadette Saunders – University of Technology Sydney 
• A/Prof. Lyndsey Collin-Praino – University of Adelaide 
• Prof. Lars Ittner – Dementia Research Centre, Macquarie University 
• Dr. Julia van der Hoven – Dementia Research Centre, Macquarie University  
• Dr. Claire Rennie – University of Technology Sydney 
• Dr. Ole Tietz - Dementia Research Centre, Macquarie University  
• Dr India Boyton, University of Technology Sydney 
• A/Prof. Matthew Faria – Pneumatic Bio; and University of Melbourne