A Rapid High Through-Put Immune Mimicking Platform for Vaccine Evaluation

Ensuring the activation and proliferation of T lymphocytes specific to a pathogen is a critical aspect of vaccine development, particularly in the initial formulation phases. Evaluating vaccine candidates at this stage is key to optimizing formulations, enhancing efficacy, and providing prolonged protection. Our in-house formulated vaccines employ microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) for efficient vaccine delivery. We recognized the need to establish a high-throughput, inexpensive in vitro assay that mimics the in vivo immune environment to facilitate cell-to-cell contact between APCs and T cells. We present a rapid, high-throughput in vitro platform that mimics the immune system for efficient vaccine evaluation. Our platform employs a T-cell proliferation assay using Carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) dye, which effectively measures lymphocyte division and expansion using flow cytometry. This high-throughput platform screens promising vaccines, reducing reliance on animal models, accelerating development, and advancing effective candidates to pre-clinical testing.