Team:Northwestern/Risk
Safety and risk assessment
Vesicle detoxification approaches : helping to solve OMV's toxicity problem
Detoxification of these nano-sized vesicles is crucial since the outer membranes of gram negative bacteria are rich in LPS, which stimulates inflammatory responses. To decrease the toxicity of LPS, and render OMVs a safe delivery method, we would need to ensure that OMV administration is non-hazardous. Different approaches have shown promise in reducing the presence of LPS. Detergent-based approaches, although costly and laborious, have proven effective for vaccine administration. More elegant approaches based on genetic modification have recently been explored. For example, the mutation from a hexa to a penta-acylated lipid A leads to the formation of less toxic OMVs, while retaining their key structural features. These considerations were key when we were evaluating the feasibility of this treatment and evaluating the risks.
References
(1) Yoon, Hyunjin (2016).Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles as a Delivery System for Virulence Regulation. August 2016⎪Vol. 26⎪No. 8J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (2016),26(8), 1343–1347
