Microalgae-made vaccines against infectious diseases

Abstract

Microalgae come to age as a vaccines production host and delivery vehicle. Antigens have been selected based on their protective effects or by in silico tools. The design has been focused on the type of antigen and its subcellular localization. Currently, several genetic engineering tools have been developed because microalgal cells as production hosts have several advantages. Moreover, this platform can be used to purify antigens for injectable formulations or as a delivery host for mucosal administration. The latter approach is useful since antigens can be encapsulated avoiding the cold chain. Nowadays, several antigens have been produced in a myriad of microalgal species against infectious diseases for animals and humans. Thus, perspectives on this technology have been identified and discussed. The body of evidence has demonstrated that microalgae can produce functional antigens with proper folding, antigenic characteristics, and sufficient levels yields to become immunogenic in pre-clinical studies. Interestingly, several microalgae-made vaccines have induced protection upon pathogen challenges, which have opened new research avenues for further studies. In this outlook, the myriad of microalgae-made vaccines against infectious diseases affecting human and animal health are discussed providing the perspectives in this field.