In Silico Analysis of an Epitope-Based Bladder Cancer Vaccine
by Sungjoon Kang
Category: STEM
Abstract – Bladder cancer is a malignancy that arises from the tissues of the urinary bladder and is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide for which there is no cure. Previous investigations have determined that amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is overexpressed in bladder cancer and has a significant role in its malignancy. In an effort to speed up cancer vaccine development and offer a probable immunotherapy option, we decided to work on the in silico development of a vaccine that targets APP and thus bladder cancer. The secondary structure of APP was analyzed, and immunogenic B cell and T cell epitopes were predicted. These epitopes were further evaluated for MHC 1 and 2 binding, allergenicity, and toxicity. The C-ImmSim server was used in two different immune response simulations to target the complete APP protein and each predicted epitope. Our results demonstrate that APP is a good candidate target protein that, if administered along with an adjuvant, can elicit a strong immune response against bladder cancer.