Assistant Professor
Michelle Teo Yee Mun
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Title: E-BABE-Development of a Dual S1-N Multi-Epitope Vaccine Construct for Oral and Mucosal Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2
Michelle Teo Yee Mun1, Christiana Lowis2, Nur Farhanah Arshad1, Foong Lian Chee3, Lionel In Lian Aun1
1 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, 56000 Malaysia.
2 Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
3 State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
The emergence of diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the need for vaccines capable of eliciting broad antigenic coverage and strong mucosal immunity, the earliest barrier against respiratory infection. This study employed an immunoinformatics-guided approach to design multi-epitope vaccine constructs (VCs) derived from conserved regions of the spike-1 (S1) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Predicted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte, helper T-lymphocyte, and linear B-cell epitopes were evaluated for conservation across major variants, including Omicron, and screened for immunogenicity, non-allergenicity, and non-toxicity. To facilitate oral delivery and enhance mucosal immune activation, the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB) subunit was incorporated as a mucosal adjuvant. Three constructs—S1, N, and dual S1–N—were assessed for physicochemical properties, global population coverage, molecular docking with Toll-like receptors (TLR-2 and TLR-4), and predicted induction of mucosal (IgA) and systemic (IgG) responses. The N-only construct demonstrated instability and was excluded. The S1 and dual S1–N constructs showed favorable stability, high TLR binding affinity, and strong predicted immunogenicity. Importantly, the dual S1–N construct was successfully expressed in Lactococcus lactis NZ3900, confirming its feasibility for oral and mucosal-targeted delivery. Overall, the dual S1–N construct demonstrates superior epitope breadth, mucosal immune potential, and practical expression capability, supporting its development as a promising next-generation oral vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
Biography of the presenting author
Dr. Michelle Teo Yee Mun is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at UCSI University, Malaysia, with a research focus on vaccine development, cancer immunotherapy, and translational biotechnology. Her work spans the design and evaluation of multi-epitope vaccines and the engineering of recombinant immunotoxins, applying immunoinformatics, molecular modeling, and synthetic biology to develop next-generation therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer.
Dr. Teo is actively involved in advancing science integrity, mentorship, and leadership in the scientific community. She serves on the Early Career Researcher Advisory Panel for the Royal Society, is a mentor for the Women in Higher Education Fellowship – Professor Without Borders, and holds the position of Honorary Treasurer for the Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. At UCSI University, she leads the Institutional Ethics Committee as Head of Secretariat, ensuring high standards of ethical research governance.
Through her research, mentorship, and service, Dr. Teo bridges fundamental science and practical biomedical applications while fostering integrity, inclusivity, and excellence in research, contributing to innovative solutions in global health and biotechnology.
Presenting author details
Full name: Michelle Teo Yee Mun
Contact number: +601112278806
Email: michelleteo@ucsiuniversity.edu.my / michelleteo.yeemun@gmail.com
LinkedIn: michelleteo-50a61389
Researchgate: Michelle-Teo
ResearcherID: AAS-5978-2020
ORCID: 000-0002-0891-8858
Category: Oral presentation