Strategies for Vaccine Design Using Phage Display-Derived Peptides

Abstract

Development of peptide vaccines through the phage display technology is a powerful strategy that relies on short peptides expressed in the phage capsid surface to induce highly targeted immune responses. Phage display-derived immunogenic peptides can be used directly as a phage-fused peptide reagent or as a synthetic peptide with specific modifications, according to target molecule and disease pathogen/parasite. Peptides’ selection (mimotopes) can be performed against monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to disclose determinant regions (epitopes) that can induce a neutralizing response. Validations of mimotopes are performed in vitro and in vivo, based on cell culture and animal models, to demonstrate its immunogenic potential for final vaccine formulations with an appropriate adjuvant. Here we present specific methods for the discovery of novel immunogenic peptides based on phage display.