Project title: Immune checkpoint-containing plant virus-like particle vaccines for cancer immunotherapy

Project No.: lzp-2025/1-0211

Period: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2028

Project costs: 300 000,00 EUR

Principal Investigator: Dr. biol. Andris Zeltiņš

Project summary:

The aim of the project is to develop new cancer immunotherapy vaccines based on plant virus-like particles (VLPs) containing immune-checkpoint antigens. The antibodies generated after vaccination will block immune checkpoints, thereby enhancing the body’s immune response against tumors and offering an alternative to monoclonal antibody-based checkpoint inhibitors currently used in immunotherapy.

We will construct VLP vaccines containing PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA4 antigens. Several methods for antigen incorporation will be tested, including in vitro techniques that allow the incorporation of several antigens in the same VLP.

The obtained VLP vaccines will be used for  mouse immunization to demonstrate the production of antibodies against PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA4 antigens.

VLP vaccines that show strong immunogenicity will be tested as in situ vaccines in mouse models of breast cancer and melanoma. The impact of the VLP vaccines on cancer development will be assessed by measuring tumor sizes and monitoring changes in cytokine profiles and activation of various immune cell populations.

As a result of the project, an experimental anti-cancer vaccine will be developed for the future research.

The project team has extensive experience in the development of VLP vaccines in collaboration with foreign universities, and biotechnology companies from Switzerland, France, and the UK. We plan to publish at least two papers in SCOPUS journals and present our findings at two international conferences.

Information published 05.01.2026.