Squalene Synthesis to Reduce Need for Shark Liver Oil

Squalene is a natural terpene that is used to increase the potency of numerous vaccines. A group of medical experts from Amyris, Inc. and the Access to Advanced Health Institute have created a brand-new method to synthesize squalene. The group outlines its novel strategy and the results of its testing in a report that was recently published in npj Vaccines.

After it was discovered that squalene increased the efficiency of numerous vaccines in the 1990s, some of the most well-known of which are those for the flu, COVID-19, tuberculosis, and malaria. However, shark liver oil, which is the main source of squalene, requires the capture and killing of sharks in order to get the chemical.

Scientists have been hunting for new sources of organic chemicals because shark numbers have been drastically declining recently. Except for sharks, almost all plants and animals make squalene, but not in any ways that are useful. Consequently, the focus of the study has shifted to developing methods for creating the substance in a lab.

The team’s latest endeavor made use of ß-farnesene; a substance produced by yeast fermentation. Twenty different variants of squalene were synthesized utilizing the substance, and each one was evaluated to determine how well it functioned in increasing the potency of multiple vaccines.

The immunological response was assessed when the analogs were introduced one at a time to blood tests. Interestingly, ß-farnesene is already made by Amyris, Inc., which has researchers on staff; it is utilized in medications that combat bacterial and fungal infections and reduce inflammation.

During testing, the team discovered that some of the analogs actually outperformed the shark liver oil. But, many of them fared worse. The scientists discovered that longer chains of isoprene units tended to perform better in high-performing analogs. Chain saturation was also discovered to be a problem.

Even though the study team intends to keep working, they anticipate that one or more of the squalenes they created synthetically will be prepared for clinical trials soon.

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