Design of a Streptolysin O Epitope-Centric Nanoparticle Vaccine Against Streptococcus pyogenes

Abstract

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a significant human pathogen for which no licensed vaccine is currently available. Here, we report a de novo designed epitope-centric protein-based nanoparticle vaccine against GAS. By integrating structural mass spectrometry techniques and deep learning approaches, we re-engineered a protective epitope (D3m) present in domain 3 of streptolysin O, a prominent pore-forming toxin produced by GAS. D3m was displayed on the surface of a self-assembling icosahedral nanoparticle (D3m-NP) to enhance epitope presentation and immunogenicity. Mice immunised with D3m-NP mounted haemolysis-neutralising titres and displayed a more uniform, epitope-centric antibody response than those receiving the community-standard detoxified full-length streptolysin O. Our findings highlight a promising strategy for GAS vaccine development by combining multimodal protein mass spectrometry, protein design and a versatile protein-based nanoparticle vaccine platform.