About the Lab
The Laboratory for Advanced Immunotechnologies and Formulation aims to explore and advance vaccine technologies to develop novel and improved vaccine solutions.
"Amastigote" usually refers to the stage in which Trypanosoma cruzi replicates in mammalian host cells. In this image, taken by confocal microscopy, amastigotes are seen in parasitophorous vacuoles around the nucleus. By using fluorescent dyes and a fluorescent antibody, we can observe the cell nucleus (blue, DAPI), actin filaments (white, phalloidin conjugate), and heat shock protein 40 (DnaJ), one of our vaccine candidates (magenta, antibody conjugate).
Research Projects
Vaccine Formulation
The Formulation Unit of our team oversees vaccine formulations at the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development. We guide members and collaborators in selecting vaccine adjuvants, excipients and development methods. Within our lab, we conduct formulation studies to verify the stability, safety and effectiveness of vaccine formulations before moving to animal models and clinical trials. Vaccine formulations for in vivo studies strictly adhere to stringent guidelines and standards to ensure quality and safety.
As projects progress through the Vaccine Centers development pipeline, we closely collaborate with the Quality Control and Quality Assurance Units. We support Regulated Activities by preparing the necessary documentation and executing regulated protocols.
Highlighted projects:
- Chagas Vaccine Initiative
Main Goal: The overall goal of the project is to advance the first therapeutic Chagas disease vaccine prototype through a First-in-Human Phase 1 clinical trial. - SARS-CoV Vaccine Development
Advanced Immunotechnologies
Beyond formulation, our laboratory serves as a vaccine innovation hub for cutting-edge research and development across multiple domains to improve vaccines and immunotherapeutics.
Highlighted projects:
- Immunopeptidomics of Chagas disease
Main Goal: The discovery and analysis of immune-related peptides, elucidating their role in immune responses and aiding in vaccine design for Chagas disease. - Discovery and production of variant-specific Coronavirus mAbs
Main goal: Discovery and distribution of monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic, and research purposes. - RNA Vaccine Research
Main Goal: Pioneering RNA-based technologies, exploring their potential for vaccine development and therapeutic interventions.- Passive Immunization of Foals with mRNA-Abs against Rhodococcus equi (USDA)
- Develop and evaluate mRNA-vaccine to protect foals against Rhodococcus equi. (Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation)
- Leveraging intracellular protein trafficking to develop mRNA vaccines against hookworm and Schistosomiasis
- Cell-based Vaccine Evaluations
Main goal: Utilizing advanced in vitro assays and models to evaluate the potency and safety of pan coronavirus vaccine candidates, paving the way for impactful advancements in immunization strategies. - Delivery Technologies
Main goal: Evaluating innovative methods to formulate and deliver vaccines more effectively.
Laboratory Members
Recent Publications
Nguyen DM, Poveda C, Pollet J, Gusovsky F, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Jones KM. The impact of vaccine-linked chemotherapy on liver health in a mouse model of chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023 Nov 21; 17(11):e0011519. PMID: 37988389.
Liu Z, Ulrich vonBargen R, Kendricks AL, Wheeler K, Leo AC, Sankaranarayanan K, Dean DA, Kane SS, Hossain E, Pollet J, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Jones KM, McCall LI. Localized cardiac small molecule trajectories and persistent chemical sequelae in experimental Chagas disease. Nat Commun. 2023 10 25; 14(1):6769. PMID: 37880260; PMCID: PMC10600178.
Thimmiraju SR, Adhikari R, Villar MJ, Lee J, Liu Z, Kundu R, Chen YL, Sharma S, Ghei K, Keegan B, Versteeg L, Gillespie PM, Ciciriello A, Islam NY, Poveda C, Uzcategui N, Chen WH, Kimata JT, Zhan B, Strych U, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Pollet J. A Recombinant Protein XBB.1.5 RBD/Alum/CpG Vaccine Elicits High Neutralizing Antibody Titers against Omicron Subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Oct 01; 11(10). PMID: 37896960; PMCID: PMC10610638.
Jimmidi R, Chamakuri S, Lu S, Ucisik MN, Chen PJ, Bohren KM, Moghadasi SA, Versteeg L, Nnabuife C, Li JY, Qin X, Chen YC, Faver JC, Nyshadham P, Sharma KL, Sankaran B, Judge A, Yu Z, Li F, Pollet J, Harris RS, Matzuk MM, Palzkill T, Young DW. DNA-encoded chemical libraries yield non-covalent and non-peptidic SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. Commun Chem. 2023 Aug 04; 6(1):164. PMID: 37542196; PMCID: PMC10403511.
Poveda C, Mancino C, Taraballi F, Chen YL, Adhikari R, Villar MJ, Kundu R, Nguyen DM, Versteeg L, Strych U, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Pollet J, Jones KM, Leao AC. Heterologous mRNA-protein vaccination with Tc24 induces a robust cellular immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi, characterized by an increased level of polyfunctional CD8+ T-cells. Curr Res Immunol. 2023; 4:100066. PMID: 37534309; PMCID: PMC10393535.
Legere RM, Allegro AR, Affram Y, Silveira BPD, Fridley JL, Wells KM, Oezguen N, Burghardt RC, Wright GA, Pollet J, Bordin AI, Figueiredo P, Leibowitz JL, Cohen ND. Equine bronchial epithelial cells are susceptible to cell entry with a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus but reveal low replication efficiency. Am J Vet Res. 2023 Sep 01; 84(9). PMID: 37442546.
Nguyen DM, Poveda C, Pollet J, Gusovsky F, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Jones KM. The impact of vaccine-linked chemotherapy on liver health in a mouse model of chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection. bioRxiv. 2023 Jul 12. PMID: 37503013; PMCID: PMC10369866.
Jones KM, Mangin EN, Reynolds CL, Villanueva LE, Cruz JV, Versteeg L, Keegan B, Kendricks A, Pollet J, Gusovsky F, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ. Vaccine-linked chemotherapy improves cardiac structure and function in a mouse model of chronic Chagas disease. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023; 13:1106315. PMID: 36844399; PMCID: PMC9947347.
Liu Z, Ulrich R, Kendricks AL, Wheeler K, Leo AC, Pollet J, Bottazzi ME, Hotez P, Gusovsky F, Jones KM, McCall LI. Localized cardiac metabolic trajectories and post-infectious metabolic sequelae in experimental Chagas disease. Res Sq. 2023 Jan 20. PMID: 36711878; PMCID: PMC9882638.
Hotez PJ, Adhikari R, Chen WH, Chen YL, Gillespie P, Islam NY, Keegan B, Tyagi Kundu R, Lee J, Liu Z, Kimata JT, Oezguen N, Pollet J, Poveda C, Razavi K, Ronca SE, Strych U, Thimmiraju SR, Versteeg L, Villar-Mondragon MJ, Wei J, Zhan B, Bottazzi ME. From concept to delivery: a yeast-expressed recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine technology suitable for global access. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2023 Jan-Dec; 22(1):495-500. PMID: 37252854.
Chen WH, Pollet J, Asojo O, Jones KM, Hotez PJ, Elena Bottazzi M, Gonz?lez-L?pez C, Alfaro-Chac?n A, Villanueva-Lizama LE, Rosado-Vallado M, Ramirez-Sierra MJ, Teh-Poot CF, Cruz-Chan JV. A novel multi-epitope recombinant protein elicits an antigen-specific CD8+?T cells response in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice. Vaccine. 2022 10 26; 40(45):6445-6449. PMID: 36184402.
Pollet J, Strych U, Chen WH, Versteeg L, Keegan B, Zhan B, Wei J, Liu Z, Lee J, Kundu R, Adhikari R, Poveda C, Jose Villar M, Rani Thimmiraju S, Lopez B, Gillespie PM, Ronca S, Kimata JT, Reers M, Paradkar V, Hotez PJ, Elena Bottazzi M. Receptor-binding domain recombinant protein on alum-CpG induces broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Vaccine. 2022 06 09; 40(26):3655-3663. PMID: 35568591; PMCID: PMC9080055.
Chen WH, Pollet J, Strych U, Lee J, Liu Z, Kundu RT, Versteeg L, Villar MJ, Adhikari R, Wei J, Poveda C, Keegan B, Bailey AO, Chen YL, Gillespie PM, Kimata JT, Zhan B, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. Yeast-expressed recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain RBD203-N1 as a COVID-19 protein vaccine candidate. Protein Expr Purif. 2022 02; 190:106003. PMID: 34688919; PMCID: PMC8529586.
Chamakuri S, Lu S, Ucisik MN, Bohren KM, Chen YC, Du HC, Faver JC, Jimmidi R, Li F, Li JY, Nyshadham P, Palmer SS, Pollet J, Qin X, Ronca SE, Sankaran B, Sharma KL, Tan Z, Versteeg L, Yu Z, Matzuk MM, Palzkill T, Young DW. DNA-encoded chemistry technology yields expedient access to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 09 07; 118(36). PMID: 34426525; PMCID: PMC8433497.
Versteeg L, Adhikari R, Poveda C, Villar-Mondragon MJ, Jones KM, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Tijhaar E, Pollet J. Location and expression kinetics of Tc24 in different life stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 09; 15(9):e0009689. PMID: 34478444; PMCID: PMC8415617.
Pino M, Abid T, Pereira Ribeiro S, Edara VV, Floyd K, Smith JC, Latif MB, Pacheco-Sanchez G, Dutta D, Wang S, Gumber S, Kirejczyk S, Cohen J, Stammen RL, Jean SM, Wood JS, Connor-Stroud F, Pollet J, Chen WH, Wei J, Zhan B, Lee J, Liu Z, Strych U, Shenvi N, Easley K, Weiskopf D, Sette A, Pollara J, Mielke D, Gao H, Eisel N, LaBranche CC, Shen X, Ferrari G, Tomaras GD, Montefiori DC, Sekaly RP, Vanderford TH, Tomai MA, Fox CB, Suthar MS, Kozlowski PA, Hotez PJ, Paiardini M, Bottazzi ME, Kasturi SP. A yeast expressed RBD-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine formulated with 3M-052-alum adjuvant promotes protective efficacy in non-human primates. Sci Immunol. 2021 07 15; 6(61). PMID: 34266981; PMCID: PMC9119307.
Pollet J, Chen WH, Versteeg L, Keegan B, Zhan B, Wei J, Liu Z, Lee J, Kundu R, Adhikari R, Poveda C, Villar MJ, de Araujo Leao AC, Altieri Rivera J, Momin Z, Gillespie PM, Kimata JT, Strych U, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. SARS-CoV-2 RBD219-N1C1: A yeast-expressed SARS-CoV-2 recombinant receptor-binding domain candidate vaccine stimulates virus neutralizing antibodies and T-cell immunity in mice. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2021 08 03; 17(8):2356-2366. PMID: 33847226; PMCID: PMC8054496.
Chen WH, Wei J, Kundu RT, Adhikari R, Liu Z, Lee J, Versteeg L, Poveda C, Keegan B, Villar MJ, de Araujo Leao AC, Rivera JA, Gillespie PM, Pollet J, Strych U, Zhan B, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. Genetic modification to design a stable yeast-expressed recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain as a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2021 06; 1865(6):129893. PMID: 33731300; PMCID: PMC7955913.
Pollet J, Chen WH, Versteeg L, Keegan B, Zhan B, Wei J, Liu Z, Lee J, Kundu R, Adhikari R, Poveda C, Villar MJ, de Araujo Leao AC, Rivera JA, Momin Z, Gillespie PM, Kimata JT, Strych U, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. SARS-CoV-2 RBD219-N1C1: A Yeast-Expressed SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Receptor-Binding Domain Candidate Vaccine Stimulates Virus Neutralizing Antibodies and T-cell Immunity in Mice. bioRxiv. 2021 Feb 09. PMID: 33173864; PMCID: PMC7654852.
Cruz-Chan JV, Villanueva-Lizama LE, Versteeg L, Damania A, Keegan B, Pollet J, Gusovsky F, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Jones KM, Villar MJ, Gonz?lez-L?pez C. Vaccine-linked chemotherapy induces IL-17 production and reduces cardiac pathology during acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Sci Rep. 2021 02 05; 11(1):3222. PMID: 33547365; PMCID: PMC7865072.
Legere RM, Cohen ND, Poveda C, Bray JM, Barhoumi R, Szule JA, Bordin AI, Pollet J, de la Concha-Bermejillo A. Safe and effective aerosolization of in vitro transcribed mRNA to the respiratory tract epithelium of horses without a transfection agent. Sci Rep. 2021 01 11; 11(1):371. PMID: 33432084; PMCID: PMC7801524.
Pollet J, Chen WH, Strych U. Recombinant protein vaccines, a proven approach against coronavirus pandemics. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2021 03; 170:71-82. PMID: 33421475; PMCID: PMC7788321.