VSSP: A new adjuvant for the vaccination of immuno-compromised patients

In the Center for Molecular Immunology, a new adjuvant was designed and described. It was created to be used in vaccines for the treatment of immuno-compromised patients. Those very small sized proteoliposomes, called VSSP, combine in their structure the GM3 ganglioside, whith immune system suppressing properties and outer membrane vesicles of Neisseria meningitides with demonstrated immunostimulating characteristics. This paper demonstrates that VSSPs, independently of the predominating ganglioside in their structure, provide the signals of “danger” necessary for the activation of the dendritic cells in the immune system. The authors assess how VSSPs, in their interaction with those cells, induce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12, that induce the polarization to Th1 of the helper T cells. Also, it was assessed that the VSSPs, in their interaction with those cells, induce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12, that induce the polarization to Th1 of the helper T cells. It was also demonstrated that the VSSPs stimulate the functional activity of the specific cytotoxic T cells, a phenomenon that is facilitated by the cross presentation of exogenous antigens and the independence of the cooperation of the helper T cells for the primary expansion of the cytotoxic T cells. Those properties were also validated by experiments that demonstrate the anti-tumor activity of two VSSP adjuvated cell vaccines.