Imoleayo Oyedeyi
A scientist, Dr. Ayodeji Durojaye, has urged Nigerian universities to adopt reverse vaccinology as a strategic approach to enhance bioscience research and strengthen national health security.
In a recent study titled “Integrating Reverse Vaccinology into Bioscience Research,” the scientist noted that incorporating this innovative methodology into the academic and research frameworks of Nigerian universities would significantly improve the country’s ability to respond to emerging infectious diseases.
Durojaye described reverse vaccinology as a revolutionary technique in vaccine development that leverages a pathogen’s genetic material to identify potential antigens capable of eliciting an immune response, bypassing traditional, slower methods.
He stressed that the approach uses advanced computational tools to rapidly pinpoint targets for vaccine development, resulting in a more precise and efficient process.
He emphasised several benefits of adopting reverse vaccinology, such as accelerating vaccine development for quicker responses to health crises, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across fields like bioinformatics, immunology, molecular biology, and data science, and positioning Nigerian universities as leaders in global health by contributing to both local and international challenges.
Durojaye cited a recent study, “Identification of a Potential mRNA-based Vaccine Candidate against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein: A Reverse Vaccinology Approach,” where his team successfully demonstrated the potential of reverse vaccinology by developing an mRNA-based vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
The study, which according to him, received the Wiley Award for being the top downloaded article in ChemistrySelect, used reverse vaccinology to identify a promising B cell epitope, specifically the peptide sequence “YLQPRTFLL.”
He said, “Our research used advanced bioinformatics analyses to identify this sequence as a strong binder to the HLA*A-0201 and confirmed its efficacy through rigorous antigenicity assessments.
“We then employed codon optimization to develop a nucleotide sequence targeting the human toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), a key component of the immune response. This groundbreaking research shows the significant potential of reverse vaccinology in contributing to global efforts in creating effective preventive measures against COVID-19.”
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