Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for causing various types of cancers, including cervical cancer. Recombinant HPV vaccines are developed using recombinant DNA technology and have shown high efficacy in preventing HPV-related diseases. In this work, we investigated the production of virus-like particles (VLPs) from C-terminal truncated L1 proteins of HPV strains 6, 11, 16, and 18 using recombinant DNA technology in insect cells. We then proceeded to using structural simulations to optimize the development of VLPs for a quadrivalent HPV vaccine. Our aim was to optimize conditions for VLP formation and purification, and to compare the resulting VLPs in terms of their structure and composition. However, we found that based on its structure, each strain required slightly different conditions for optimal purification and VLP formation, and hence use of simulation tools to improve understanding of these differences could guide development of the process. Through our work, we aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the factors influencing purification and VLP formation, which could ultimately lead to the development of more effective and broadly protective recombinant HPV vaccines.
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