Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
United Kingdom
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
United Kingdom
European Research Council (ERC)
European Union
Citation
Journal: ACS Synth Biol / Year: 2026 Title: Engineering the ADDomer Nanoparticle Vaccine Scaffold for Improved Assembly and Enhanced Stability. Authors: Georgia Balchin / Burak V Kabasakal / Alessandro Strofaldi / Sophie Hall / Charlotte Fletcher / Dora Buzas / Joshua C Bufton / Sathish K N Yadav / Dakang Shen / Frederic Garzoni / H Adrian ...Authors: Georgia Balchin / Burak V Kabasakal / Alessandro Strofaldi / Sophie Hall / Charlotte Fletcher / Dora Buzas / Joshua C Bufton / Sathish K N Yadav / Dakang Shen / Frederic Garzoni / H Adrian Bunzel / Jennifer J McManus / Christiane Schaffitzel / Imre Berger / Abstract: Virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising platforms for next-generation vaccines due to their ability to present antigens in highly ordered, repetitive geometries emulating pathogen-associated ...Virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising platforms for next-generation vaccines due to their ability to present antigens in highly ordered, repetitive geometries emulating pathogen-associated patterns to elicit potent immune responses. The ADDomer is a synthetic dodecahedral VLP scaffold derived from the penton base protein (PBP) of human adenovirus serotype 3 (Ad3). PBP tolerates insertion of multiple antigenic epitopes in flexible surface-exposed loops, and spontaneously self-assembles into ADDomer nanoparticles, but faces limitations including incomplete assembly and susceptibility to preexisting antihuman adenovirus immunity. Here, we report two complementary engineering strategies to enhance ADDomer robustness. First, we developed a Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25-based ADDomer (CHIMPSELS) to circumvent preexisting antihuman adenovirus immunity, and introduced a point mutation to restore a motif critical for dodecahedron integrity. Second, we introduced targeted intersubunit disulfide bonds to reinforce particle assembly. High-resolution electron cryo-microscopy confirmed the formation of intact dodecahedral particles, revealing that disulfide bonds stabilize distinct conformations of the PBP N-termini. Differential scanning fluorimetry and dynamic light scattering demonstrated thermal stability and elevated aggregation onset temperatures in the disulfide-stabilized ADDomers, providing a scalable assay for screening ADDomer-based VLP constructs for vaccine development. Incorporation of validated immunogenic epitopes, including a SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding motif segment and the Chikungunya E2EP3 peptide, demonstrated structural integrity and epitope display by the modified scaffolds. Our results establish a versatile, thermostable VLP platform with reduced susceptibility to preexisting immunity, improved particle integrity, and capacity for modular epitope presentation. This work advances the ADDomer toward practical applications in vaccine development and highlights engineering strategies that can be broadly applied to enhance the performance of protein-based VLP vaccines.
Entire : CHIMPSELS S57C ADDomer: An engineered viral like particle derived...
Entire
Name: CHIMPSELS S57C ADDomer: An engineered viral like particle derived from penton base protein of Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25.
Components
Complex: CHIMPSELS S57C ADDomer: An engineered viral like particle derived from penton base protein of Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25.
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Supramolecule #1: CHIMPSELS S57C ADDomer: An engineered viral like particle derived...
Supramolecule
Name: CHIMPSELS S57C ADDomer: An engineered viral like particle derived from penton base protein of Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25. type: complex / ID: 1 / Parent: 0 / Macromolecule list: #1-#9 Details: ADDomer produced by recombinant expression of the engineered penton base protein of Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25 using the MultiBac baculovirus-insect cell expression system. 60 penton base ...Details: ADDomer produced by recombinant expression of the engineered penton base protein of Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25 using the MultiBac baculovirus-insect cell expression system. 60 penton base proteins self assemble into the ADDomer particle.
Source (natural)
Organism: Chimpanzee adenovirus Y25
Molecular weight
Theoretical: 3.65 MDa
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Experimental details
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Structure determination
Method
cryo EM
Processing
single particle reconstruction
Aggregation state
particle
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Sample preparation
Concentration
0.5 mg/mL
Buffer
pH: 7.5 Component:
Concentration
Formula
Name
50.0 mM
Tris
Tris
150.0 mM
NaCl
sodium chloride
0.2 mM
EDTA
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
0.1 mM
AEBSF
4-(2-Aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride
100.0 uM
Dichloro(1,10-phenanthroline)copper(II)
Copper Phenanthroline
Vitrification
Cryogen name: ETHANE-PROPANE / Chamber humidity: 100 % / Chamber temperature: 277.15 K / Instrument: FEI VITROBOT MARK II
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Electron microscopy
Microscope
TFS KRIOS
Image recording
Film or detector model: GATAN K3 (6k x 4k) / Number grids imaged: 1 / Number real images: 16511 / Average exposure time: 3.846 sec. / Average electron dose: 50.0 e/Å2
Electron beam
Acceleration voltage: 300 kV / Electron source: FIELD EMISSION GUN
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