Vaccine delivery method

Abstract

The present invention includes a composition including as one component a slurry matrix that is a liquid at room temperature and a gel at physiological pH, physiological salt concentrations and/or physiological temperatures and as a second component one or more antigens. Also include are methods of inducing an immune response in a subject and vaccinating a subject by administering such compositions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A composition comprising as one component a slurry matrix that is a liquid at room temperature and a gel at physiological pH, physiological salt concentrations and/or physiological temperatures and as another component one or more antigens. 
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the slurry matrix comprises a peptide hydrogel, or a derivative thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the slurry matrix comprises a peptide hydrogel of the peptide scaffold RADARADARADARADA, or a derivative thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 3 , wherein the peptide hydrogel comprises PURAMATRIX, or a derivative thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the slurry matrix comprises MATRIGEL, or a derivative thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1  further comprising one of more adjuvants. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) agonist and/or a cytokine 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 7 , wherein the TLR agonist comprises a TLR4 and/or TLR9 agonist. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 8 , wherein the TLR9 agonist comprises a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN). 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the antigen comprises a hepatitis antigen, an influenza antigen, a schistosomiasis antigen, and/or a burkolderia antigen, or an antigenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         11 . A method of producing an immune response in a subject, the method comprising administering a composition of  claim 1  to the subject. 
     
     
         12 . A method of delivering one or more immunogenic antigens to a subject, the method comprising administering a composition of  claim 1  to the subject. 
     
     
         13 . A method of delivering one or more therapeutic antigens to a subject, the method comprising administering a composition of  claim 1  to the subject. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the subject is a domestic livestock or a companion animal. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein administration of the composition comprises subcutaneous (sc) delivery, intramuscular (im) delivery, intradermal delivery, transdermal delivery, mucosal delivery, intravaginal delivery, intrarectal delivery, intraperitoneal delivery, inhalation delivery, and/or aerosol delivery. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein administration of the composition comprises a primary and/or booster vaccination. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein administration of the composition comprises a booster vaccination after a primary vaccination with a polypeptide vaccine or a plasmid DNA vaccine. 
     
     
         18 . A method of producing an anti-schistosome immune response in a bovoid, the method comprising administering a composition comprising as one component a slurry matrix that is a liquid at room temperature and is a gel at physiological conditions and as another component one or more schistosome antigens to the bovoid. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the schistosome antigen comprises a SjCTPI polypeptide, a SjCTPI-Hsp70 polypeptide, a SjC23 polypeptide, and/or a SjC23-Hsp70 polypeptide, or an antigenic fragment thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein administration of the composition comprises a booster administered after a primary vaccination with a SjCTPI-Hsp70 plasmid DNA vaccine.