Yeast-Based Virus-like Particles as an Emerging Platform for Vaccine Development and Delivery

Abstract

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are empty, nanoscale structures morphologically resembling viruses. Internal cavity, noninfectious, and particulate nature with a high density of repeating epitopes, make them an ideal platform for vaccine development and drug delivery. Commercial use of Gardasil-9 and Cervarix showed the usefulness of VLPs in vaccine formulation. Further, chimeric VLPs allow the raising of an immune response against different immunogens and thereby can help reduce the generation of medical or clinical waste. The economically viable production of VLPs significantly impacts their usage, application, and availability. To this end, several hosts have been used and tested. The present review will discuss VLPs produced using different yeasts as fermentation hosts. We also compile a list of studies highlighting the expression and purification of VLPs using a yeast-based platform. We also discuss the advantages of using yeast to generate VLPs over other available systems. Further, the issues or limitations of yeasts for producing VLPs are also summarized. The review also compiles a list of yeast-derived VLP-based vaccines that are presently in public use or in different phases of clinical trials.

Fighting flu: novel CD8+ T‐cell targets are required for future influenza vaccines

“…An advantage of VLP is that they do not contain viral genetic material, which makes them relatively safe as they cannot undergo viral replication 58 . VLP can be administered intramuscularly and have made highly successful vaccines against viruses in the past such as human papillomaviruses (HPV) 61,62 . Against influenza, the quadrivalent VLP vaccine made by Medicago recently underwent phase III clinical trials 63 .…”

Yeast-Based Screening of Anti-Viral Molecules

“…Despite this, almost all the commercially available vaccines, including recently introduced mRNA vaccines against coronavirus infection, have several issues, including their thermolabile nature [ 39 , 40 ]. Different issues associated with presently available vaccines and different ways to tackle them are discussed elsewhere [ 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Although their thermolabile nature and the strict requirement of following the cold chain (the need to store and transport vaccines either frozen or at 4 °C) are of concern, frequent mutations in the surface immunogenic proteins further complicate the future of subunit vaccines.…”

“…Apart from this, yeast grows faster, with a short duplication time (90–120 min for budding yeast) compared to animal cells, which divide in 18 h or more. Yeast cells in general are smaller than animal cells [ 43 ].…”

Precise Therapy Using the Selective Endogenous Encapsidation for Cellular Delivery Vector System

“…Yeast, in particular Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataella phafii (formerly Pichia pastoris ), are well recognized systems for the expression of VLPs. They fall under the group of generally recognized as safe (GARS) cell cultures [ 54 , 55 ]. Both S. cerevisiae and K. phafii expression systems are robust, inexpensive, easy to genetically manipulate, and, unlike bacteria, free of endotoxins [ 52 ].…”