À minha orientadora, Profa. Dra Aurora Marques Cianciarullo, pelos ensinamentos, apoio e dedicação. Por compartilhar sua visão de ciência refinada e apaixonante. Muito obrigada! Ao Prof. Dr. Edécio Armbruster de Moraes pelos ensinamentos, por compartilhar suas experiências e conhecimentos, pelas sugestões e pela agradável convivência.

INTRODUCTION Cervical cancer is the most serious consequence of infection by human papillomavirus (HPV), constituting one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide, and a fact that points to a major challenge to global public health. The prophylactic vaccination on a large scale would be an alternative to reducing cervical cancer rates, making it essential to search for new vaccine strategies. Current vaccines are based on virus-like particles (VLPs) of the major virus capsid protein L1, with effective protection against specific types, but with a limited cross-protection against other HPV types. The vaccine proposal is to use the L2 protein, which contains highly conserved sequences for a broader protection against different types of HPVs.