Hannah Chege

Hannah Chege


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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20 May 2026 in Vaccines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Harriet Matildah ObogeHarriet Matildah Oboge
Harriet Matildah Oboge
WHWei-Chiao Huang
Wei-Chiao Huang
GAGabriel Aboge
Gabriel Aboge
HCHannah Chege
Hannah Chege
RORose Ojuok
Rose Ojuok
ALAnna Lacasta
Anna Lacasta
Background: Effective vaccines are essential to overcome the limitations of livestock immunisation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where scalable, thermostable, and easy-to-administer solutions are needed. Nanoparticle-based delivery systems, such as the Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Particle (SNAP) technology using CoPoP liposomes, offer a promising alternative for subunit vaccine development, although their performance in large animal species remains poorly characterised. CoPoP enables the rapid non-covalent multimeric display of His-tagged protein antigens combined with immunomodulators on liposomes incorporating cobalt porphyrin–phospholipid (CoPoP). Objective: To evaluate the immunogenicity of CoPoP-based liposomes delivering the Theileria parva p67C antigen in cattle and compare their performance in murine models. Methods: Cattle and mice were immunised with p67C formulated in CoPoP liposomes incorporating QS-21 and/or PHAD immunomodulators. Humoral and cellular responses were assessed. Parallel in vitro stimulation of bovine PBMC with Quil-A was used to investigate the mechanistic effects of saponins on bovine cells. Results: CoPoP liposome formulations did not improve p67C immunogenicity in cattle, with antibody responses at least two-fold lower than previously reported results and no detectable cellular responses. In contrast, the same platform induced up to 2000-fold higher antibody titres in mice. This disparity is likely driven by differences in antigen dose relative to body mass, tissue architecture, lymphatic accessibility, and innate immune signalling differences. PHAD-mediated TLR4 activation appeared less effective in cattle, whereas QS-21 induced a broader immune activation, likely through conserved inflammasome pathways. Despite limited immunogenicity, antigen presentation by CoPoP liposomes was preserved. Conclusions: SNAP-based CoPoP liposomes showed strong immunogenicity in mice but limited efficacy in cattle, highlighting the challenges of cross-species translation. Optimisation of antigen dose and adjuvant selection for the targeted species is required, with QS-21 representing a more promising candidate than the TLR4 agonist. The scalability and versatility of SNAP technology support its continued development for multivalent livestock vaccines.