Abstract

Adenovirus (Ad) has been the ideal cargo delivery mechanism, and its moderate immunological response makes it ideal for in vivo gene therapies since its discovery in 1953. However, the robust immunogenicity of the Ad capsid and low vaccine absorption via mucous membranes and epithelium put a limit on the process of developing intranasal vaccines. Efforts are being made to enhance the effectiveness of Ad vectors and numerous studies have demonstrated the remarkable capacity of human serum albumin (HSA) to extend plasma half-life and facilitate targeted intranasal delivery. In this study, we devised an innovative method for employing the Catcher/Tag molecular glue to shield Ad with HSA at a molecular precision level. The incorporation of Catcher/Tag technology provides us with a high degree of flexibility and precision in manipulating the construction process. This strategy circumvents the problem of re-designing and re-producing recombinant HSA-Ad vectors and allows us to select HSA shielding sites and proportions more efficiently.

Committee Chair

David T. Curiel, Department of Radiation Oncology

Committee Members

Michael Vahey, Jai Rudra

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Author's Department

Biomedical Engineering

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Fall 12-2023

Language

English (en)

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