The identification of immunogenic glycotopes that render glycoconjugate vaccines protective is key to improving vaccine efficacy. Synthetic oligosaccharides are an attractive alternative to the heterogeneous preparations of purified polysaccharides that most marketed glycoconjugate vaccines are based on. To investigate the potency of semi- synthetic glycoconjugates, we chose the least efficient serotype in the current pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13™, Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 (ST3). Glycan arrays containing synthetic ST3 repeating unit oligosaccharides were used to screen a human reference serum for antibodies and to define the recognition site of two ST3-specific protective monoclonal antibodies. The glycan array screens identified a tetrasaccharide that was selected for in-depth immunological evaluation. The tetrasaccharide-CRM197 carrier protein conjugate elicited protective immunity as evidenced by opsonophagocytosis assays and protection against pneumonia caused by ST3 in mice. Formulation of the defined protective lead candidate glycotope has to be further evaluated to elicit optimal long-term immunity.

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains a deadly disease in small children and the elderly even though conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines based on isolated capsular polysaccharides (CPS) are successful. The most common serotypes that cause infection are used in vaccines around the world, but differences in geographic and demographic serotype distribution compromises protection by leading vaccines. The medicinal chemistry approach to glycoconjugate vaccine development has helped to improve the stability and immunogenicity of synthetic vaccine candidates for several serotypes leading to the induction of higher levels of specific protective antibodies. Here, we show that marketed CPS-based glycoconjugate vaccines can be improved by adding synthetic glycoconjugates representing serotypes that are not covered by existing vaccines. Combination (coformulation) of synthetic glycoconjugates with the licensed vaccines Prevnar13 (13-valent) and Synflorix (10-valent) yields improved 15-and 13-valent conjugate vaccines, respectively, in rabbits. A pentavalent semisynthetic glycoconjugate vaccine containing five serotype antigens (sPCV5) elicits antibodies with strong in vitro opsonophagocytic activity. This study illustrates that synthetic oligosaccharides can be used in coformulation with both isolated polysaccharide glycoconjugates to expand protection from existing vaccines and each other to produce precisely defined multivalent conjugated vaccines. synthetic glycans | vaccine | Streptococcus pneumoniae C apsular polysaccharides (CPS) surround many deadly human pathogens. Polysaccharide-conjugated vaccines, based on isolated CPS antigens attached to carrier proteins, protect young children and the elderly from deadly bacterial pathogens including Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Neisseria meningitides, and the encapsulated gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae is the leading cause of life-endangering diseases such as pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis (1), and a major cause of death in children under five in developing countries (2-4). More than 90 S. pneumoniae serotypes can be distinguished based on their CPS (5, 6). Currently available CPS-based pneumococcal vaccines contain the serotypes most frequently associated with invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs). Although the licensed 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax 23) is not effective in younger children (3, 7), the conjugate vaccines Prevnar13 and Synflorix cover 13 and 10 serotypes, respectively, and are highly successful in all age groups (8). Nevertheless, serotype replacement due to vaccination and regional differences in dominant serotypes necessitate the expansion of existing vaccines to include additional serotypes. An additional weak point is that some serotype antigens, such as ST5 and ST1, that are present in existing vaccines undergo undesired chemical modification during production (9, 10); others have limited immunogenicity and lead to protective levels well below those required for herd immunity, such as SP3 (6).The p...

A combination of in situ IR spectroscopy (ReactIR) and DFT calculations have been used to understand what factors govern the selectivity in the addition of primary amines to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, i.e., 1,2- versus 1,4-addition. It has been found that the 1,2-addition products (α,β-unsaturated imines following addition and elimination) usually predominate for most systems. However, exceptions, such as methyl vinyl ketone, selectively give 1,4-addition products. This has been rationalized by DFT calculations that show that major conformational effects are involved, controlled mainly by steric effects of carbonyl substituents, resulting in a model that provides simple and predictable preparation of α,β-unsaturated imines for in situ utilization in synthesis.

A one-pot synthesis of chiral amino alcohols from R,β-unsaturated aldehydes is reported which circumvents competitive 1,2-versus 1,4-boryl addition, by means of using a sterically hindered amine-derived imine. In addition to the complete chemoselectivity, modification of the Cu(I) catalyst with readily available chiral diphosphines, such as (R)-DM-BINAP, gave the 1,4-boryl addition products with high levels of asymmetric induction.