iBET Scientists Attend ECI Vaccine Technology X Conference
Three Posters Highlighting Advances in Vaccine Platforms and Scalable Bioprocessing
iBET scientists participated in the ECI Vaccine Technology X conference, held in Porto from April 12–17, reinforcing the institute’s active role in advancing vaccine research and bioprocess development.
iBET’s scientific leadership in this topic was highlighted by the participation of António Roldão (Head of the Cell-based Vaccines Development Lab), who served as Chair of the Poster Sessions, and Paula Alves (CEO), who participated as a member of the Steering Committee. In addition, Salomé Neto (PhD student) and Margarida Rodrigues (Scientist at the Cell-based Vaccines Development Lab) were part of the local welcoming committee.
During the conference, iBET’s research was showcased through the presentation of three scientific posters:
– Margarida Rodrigues | Dual strategy for modular antigen display on ferritin nanoparticles for next-generation vaccines. This work presents two approaches to advance ferritin nanoparticles as modular vaccine platforms. One study established a mild, site-specific bioconjugation approach for controlled antigen coupling on ferritin while preserving antigen recognition. A second study generated Rift Valley fever virus Gn-presenting ferritin nanoparticles by genetic fusion, showing ordered antigen display and enhanced dendritic cell activation in vitro.
– António Roldão | Pfripr5 as a new asexual blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate: From antigen discovery to readiness for GMP production
PfRipr5, a highly conserved fragment of the Plasmodium falciparum Rh5-interacting protein (PfRipr), has emerged as a promising antigen candidate for an asexual blood-stage malaria vaccine. This study describes the end-to-end development pathway of PfRipr5, from antigen discovery and design optimization to readiness for GMP-compliant production, with a focus on engineering strategies to improve PfRipr5 manufacturing using scalable processes.
-Salomé Neto (PhD student) | Adenovirus-like particles (ADDomer) for snakebite therapy: Enhancing production via process intensification.
Developed within the EU-funded ADDovenom project, this work focuses on improving the manufacturability of ADDomer-based vaccines and therapies through an intensified and scalable manufacturing pipeline. To enhance process efficiency, an upstream process based on high-cell-density perfusion bioreactor was developed, enabling increased ADDomer expression using the insect cell–baculovirus expression vector system. In parallel, a robust and fully scalable downstream process was established, comprising cell lysis, clarification, and two chromatography steps for purification.
Salomé Neto presenting her poster. The Local Welcoming Committee composed of iBET scientists Salomé Neto and Margarida Rodrigues, as well as Inês Duarte and Sara Sebastião from GenIbet Pharmaceuticals.
Organized by Engineering Conferences International (ECI), the conference brought together leading experts from academia and industry to discuss the latest developments in vaccine design, manufacturing technologies, and translational research.
Participation in Vaccine Technology X aligns with iBET’s mission to advance bioprocessing, vaccine development, and innovative biotechnological solutions through collaborative and internationally visible research.
