| abstract |
Novel nanoparticle-based vaccines are provided that elicit an immune response against a wide range of infectious agents, such as influenza viruses. The nanoparticles comprise a heterogeneous population of fusion proteins, each of which is a self-assembling protein, such as ferritin, that is connected to one or more immunogenic portions of a protein from an infectious agent such as influenza virus. A monomer subunit. The fusion protein self-assembles to form nanoparticles that present a heterogeneous population of immunogenic moieties on its surface. When administered to an individual, such nanoparticles elicit an immune response against different strains, types, subtypes and species within the same taxonomic family. Thus, such nanoparticles can be used for vaccination of individuals against infection by different types, subtypes and / or strains of infectious pathogens. Also provided are specific fusion proteins, nucleic acid molecules encoding such fusion proteins, and methods of using the nanoparticles of the invention for vaccination of individuals. |