title: High-Density Peptide Arrays for Malaria Vaccine Development.
abstract: The development of an efficacious and practicable vaccine conferring sterile immunity towards a Plasmodium infection represents a not yet achieved goal. A crucial factor for the impact of a given anti-plasmodial subunit vaccine is the identification of the most potent parasitic components required to induce protection from both infection and disease. Here, we present a method based on a novel high-density peptide array technology that allows for a flexible readout of malaria antibodies. Peptide arrays applied as a screening method can be used to identify novel immunogenic antibody epitopes under a large number of potential antigens/peptides. Ultimately, discovered antigen candidates and/or epitope sequences can be translated into vaccine prototype design. The technology can be further utilized to unravel antibody-mediated immune responses (e.g., involved in the establishment of semi-immunity) and moreover to confirm vaccine potency during the process of clinical development by verifying the induced antibody responses following vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Microstructure Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Karlsruhe, Germany. felix.loeffler@kit.edu.
authors.forename: Felix F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Loeffler
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology Unit, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.|Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, General Pediatrics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pfeil
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology Unit, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. k.heiss@uni-heidelberg.de.|, Heidelberg, Germany. k.heiss@uni-heidelberg.de.|4 MalVa GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany. k.heiss@uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D010455:Peptides
keywords: Antibody epitope mapping; Antibody readout; Antigen screening; Immunogenic malarial antigens; Malarial subunit vaccine; Peptide binding