Multi-epitope string (MES)

A multi-epitope string is a synthetic or recombinant polypeptide construct designed to elicit a broad and targeted immune response by concatenating multiple immunogenic epitopes from one or more antigens (PubMed: 32810400). These epitopes are typically identified through immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology approaches, targeting both B-cell and T-cell (CD4+ and CD8+) immunity to ensure comprehensive protection (NCBI: PMC7438246). The string often incorporates flexible or rigid linkers (such as GPGPG or EAAAK) between epitopes to ensure proper proteolytic processing and to prevent the creation of unintended junctional neo-epitopes (PubMed: 33064680). While not a biological target itself, the multi-epitope string serves as a sophisticated vaccine platform used to combat complex pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, Plasmodium falciparum, and various malignant tumors (PubMed: 34103545). By focusing the immune response on conserved and highly immunogenic regions, these constructs aim to overcome challenges such as antigenic drift and low individual epitope potency (Frontiers in Immunology, 2021).

Other names

Multi-epitope vaccine constructPoly-epitope stringChimeric multi-epitope proteinMulti-epitope peptide

Induction of multi-specific cellular and humoral immunity by presenting multiple pathogen-derived or tumor-derived epitopes to the immune system via MHC molecules (PubMed: 32810400).