The invention ‘Biological nanostructural platforms for exposure of foreign antigens’, developed by a team of scientists from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG under the direction of dr Beata Gromadzka, has been granted patent protection by the Polish Patent Office.

The groundbreaking invention (developed by a team of scientists consisting of dr Karolina Zimmer, dr Mirosława Panasiuk, dr Weronika Hoffmann, and dr Stanisław Ołdziej, prof. UG, under the supervision of dr Beata Gromadzka) concerns novel chimeric biological nanostructures that may find application in the precise delivery of drugs to selected tissues or cells, increasing the efficiency of therapy and minimising side effects, and in the development of next-generation therapeutics based on biological molecules such as proteins or peptides, with the potential to treat autoimmune, metabolic, and cancerous diseases.

The platform based on the Orsay virus, specifically the capsid protein (CP) fragment, is an innovative tool with multiple benefits in medicine, biotechnology and related sciences. With its advanced design, it offers solutions to many challenges in therapy, diagnostics, and biomolecule production.

Researchers have designed biological nanostructures inspired by the capsid protein of the Orsay virus. Their design was improved by truncating and modifying the CP to make it more stable and functional. Modifications were also made to special domains that facilitate the construction of the nanostructure and allow the introduction of foreign antigens.

The Orsay virus-based invention opens up new possibilities in the design of novel biological nanostructures that can be used in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccine production. ‘Our discovery was made to develop innovative solutions for efficient introduction and exposure of foreign antigens using Orsay virus-based biological nanostructures,’ says dr B. Gromadzka and adds: ‘The inventionsolves key problems of modern biotechnology and medicine, such as the low efficacy of therapies, difficulties in producing high-quality biological materials, limitations in tissue regeneration and the need to develop innovative gene therapies, vaccines and drugs. It provides the basis for further advances in disease treatment, diagnostics and the development of personalised therapies.’

With the invention, the following become possible:

• production of antibodies - the creation of effective tools to stimulate the immune system to produce high-quality antibodies for use in diagnostics, therapy and research;
• development of reference antigens - ensuring stable and precisely defined antigens necessary for vaccine validation, diagnostic tests and clinical trials;
• development of novel vaccines - the creation of platforms to efficiently expose antigens to induce an immune response, enabling the development of next-generation vaccines with high efficacy and safety;
• drug delivery - using biological nanostructures as carriers to precisely deliver active substances to specific tissues or cells, increasing the effectiveness of therapies and reducing side effects;
• the creation of therapeutic innovations - possibly developing a new generation of therapeutic biological molecules, such as proteins or peptides, which can be used to treat autoimmune, metabolic or cancerous diseases.

How do these nanostructures work?

The nanostructures are based on the CP protein, which plays a key role in the formation of stable molecules. Special elements are added to it to increase functionality:

• an oligomerising tag: this is a sequence derived from a transcription factor that stabilises the entire structure and allows DNA packaging inside the nanostructure;
• a special CNGRC peptide: it has anti-cancer properties and can be used to precisely deliver drugs to cancer cells.

The invention may find applications in the production of next-generation vaccines, in modern cancer therapies as an opportunity to deliver anti-cancer molecules to specific cells, minimising side effects and increasing treatment efficacy, and in the production of antibodies and reference antigens - facilitating the production of high-quality biomolecules essential for diagnostics and research.

‘The work on the invention was extremely exciting, particularly in the context of studying the effects of specific regions of the Orsay virus capsid protein (CP) on the stability of biological nanostructures. Of particular interest was the use of oligomerising tags, which not only increase the stability of the structure, but also enable additional functions such as DNA encapsulation or stimulation of the anti-tumour response,’ says dr Beata Gromadzka. ‘Our patented technology is of interest to both the veterinary and pharmaceutical industries. It can be used to produce vaccines, drugs, therapeutics or diagnostic tests.’

Dr Beata Gromadzka is president of NaNoExpo, a biotechnology spin-off company of the University of Gdańsk, which provides R&D services and solutions in the field of bioengineering of biological nanostructures.