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Vaccination with gold particles

10.07.2013

Scientists in the US have developed a new vaccination method in which tiny particles of gold mimic the virus and carry specific proteins to the body's immune cells. This is a fundamentally new approach to vaccination, here, unlike most modern vaccines, dead or weakened viruses are not used.

A new vaccination method using a specific protein that resides on the surface of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been demonstrated in a laboratory at Vanderbilt University. The RSV virus was not chosen by chance - it is the cause of lower respiratory infections in people of all ages. But children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. To date, there has been no vaccine for this infection. Although respiratory syncytial virus has a mild appearance in many people and does not differ from most seasonal viral diseases, it is insidious and can cause complications and death.

The F protein, which is part of the RSV virus, is the main cause of the development of the disease: it allows the virus to penetrate into the cytoplasm of the cell. It also causes the cells to stick together and thus makes it difficult to eliminate the virus. Until now, scientists have not been able to find a vaccine for this disease. But if the experiments with gold particles are successful, then the body will receive reliable protection. It will consist of the following. Gold particles, imitating the virus itself, will "record" information about the F protein in our body, and the next time we meet it, our immune system will immediately begin to respond.

In a pilot demonstration, the scientists connected 21 and 57 nanometer gold nanorods (almost the same size as a virus) and coated them with the F protein. The researchers then tested the ability of the gold nanorods to deliver the F protein to specific immune cells known as dendritic cells. Dendritic cells usually "collect" information about the virus (in this case, the F-protein) and pass it on to the immune system - so that our body, more precisely T-cells, can fight off the invader. Experience has shown that gold nanoparticles coated with F-protein are the most effective as a vaccine. When nanoparticles are delivered to dendritic cells, the protective cells of our body multiply much more actively, compared with those parts of the experiment when only gold nanoparticles or only F-protein were added to dendritic cells.

Thus, gold nanoparticles successfully imitate the virus and force our body to "remember" the protein for subsequent destruction. In addition, gold is not toxic to our cells, it does not cause immune cells to become active.

Researchers say it's critical to finally get an effective vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, which causes most pneumonia in young children. At the same time, the developers of the new vaccination method do not rule out that gold nanoparticles can be used to make vaccines against other viruses. Nanoparticles are a kind of platform on which any viruses or large microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, can be planted. But that's in the future. In the near future, scientists intend to start testing a vaccine against RSV-virus in vivo. If the testing is successful, then you can forget about the drugs and not be afraid of complications.

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