Mapping Protective Epitopes for Anthrax and Plague Vaccine Antigens by LC-MS/MS

摘要

Anthrax and plague, caused by Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, are two highly infectious and lethal bacterial diseases that have greatly impacted human history. Effective new medical protections against these diseases are sought for national defense, homeland security, and world wide public health. The present US-licensed vaccine for anthrax contains precipitated formaldehyde-treated bacterial culture supernatant and was engineered four decades ago. Although effective, it has experienced numerous difficulties during the past decade of increased use. New investigational products based on a defined antigenand intended to replace the current vaccine are in clinical testing. Similarly, candidate vaccines against plague are under development because the former US-licensed plague vaccine was ineffective and is no longer manufactured. The active pharmaceutical ingredients for each of these new subunit vaccines are whole-protein antigens, discovered and vetted over several years time using well-established and conventional research methods. Finished products suitable for human use are anticipated only after several more years of development and testing, as is normal for product development lifetimes. However, recent events underscore the need for improved technologies to detect, treat, and prevent new biological threats that may combine multiple agents or could harbor engineered properties. Therefore, it is important that novel medical countermeasures are discovered and enter development soon for future deployment. Peptide methodologies are being applied as part of a larger effort toward this objective.