Impact of glycosylation of vaccine antigens on quality and performance

Vaccine Insights 2024; 3(2), 59–70

DOI: 10.18609/vac.2023.013

Published: 12 April
Expert Insight
John F Cipollo, Diane McCarthy

Glycosylation of proteins used as vaccine antigens can impact the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and thus can be a product quality attribute. The term glycosylation refers to a group of post-translational modifications whereby oligosaccharides are linked to amino acid residues within proteins. In therapeutic glycoproteins, these post-translational modifications can affect protein stability, direct protein folding, modulate drug serum half-life, and influence the partners to which a glycoprotein binds. The composition and position of glycans within the protein structure can also affect function, as well as trafficking to cellular sub-compartments and specific tissues.