Team:Northwestern/Risk
Safety and risk assessment
Vesicle detoxification approaches
. 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 make OMV delivery a safe delivery method, we would need to ensure that OMV administration is non-hazardous. Different approaches have shown promise to reduce 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 lead to the formation of less toxic OMVs, while retaining their key structural features.
