Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giacomo Oliveira, Kari Stromhaug, Susan Klaeger, Tomasz Kula, Dennie T. Frederick, Phuong M. Le, Juliet Forman, Teddy Huang, Shuqiang Li, Wandi Zhang, Qikai Xu, Nicoletta Cieri, Karl R. Clauser, Sachet A. Shukla, Donna Neuberg, Sune Justesen, Gavin MacBeath, Steven A. Carr, Edward F. Fritsch, Nir Hacohen, Moshe Sade-Feldman, Kenneth J. Livak, Genevieve M. Boland, Patrick A. Ott, Derin B. Keskin, Catherine J. Wu
Summary: The authors demonstrate through single-cell profiling and T cell receptor specificity screening that tumour antigen recognition influences the phenotypes of CD8(+) T cells and antitumour immune responses. Non-tumour-reactive T cells show a non-exhausted memory phenotype, while melanoma-reactive lymphocytes exhibit an exhausted state, providing insights into the properties of the anti-melanoma TCR repertoire.
Article
Microbiology
Kirsten Freitag, Sara Hamdan, Matthias J. Reddehase, Rafaela Holtappels
Summary: CD8(+) T-cell responses to pathogens mainly target infected cells presenting pathogen-encoded peptides, with only a few peptides qualifying as epitopes. IDEs are preferred in vaccine design and CD8(+) T-cell immunotherapy.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
An -Ran Shen, Xiao-Xiao Jin, Tao -Tao Tang, Yan Ding, Xiao-Tao Liu, Xin Zhong, Yan-Dan Wu, Xue-Lian Han, Guang-Yu Zhao, Chuan-Lai Shen, Lin -Li Lv, Bi-Cheng Liu
Summary: This study successfully generated an exosomal vaccine carrying T cell epitope peptides of SARS-CoV-2 and demonstrated strong CD8+ T cell response in mice. The exosomal vaccine induced significantly stronger T cell response compared to the recent cocktail vaccine.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Xuan-Wu Li, Ni Zhang, Zhuo-Lin Li, Nouhoum Dibo, Zhen-Rong Ma, Bin Lu, Ye-Hong Huang, Yun-Feng Chang, Hong-Zhi Chen, Xiang Wu
Summary: This study identified a novel group of Toxoplasma membrane protein epitopes through genome-wide screening, which is important for the development of an effective vaccine against Toxoplasma infection.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Maria Belmonte, Harini Ganeshan, Jun Huang, Arnel Belmonte, Sandra Inoue, Rachel Velasco, Neda Acheampong, Ebenezer Addo Ofori, Kwadwo Akyea-Mensah, Augustina Frimpong, Nana Aba Ennuson, Abena Fremaah Frempong, Eric Kyei-Baafour, Linda Eva Amoah, Kimberly Edgel, Bjoern Peters, Eileen Villasante, Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi, Martha Sedegah
Summary: A malaria vaccine that can effectively induce sterilizing immunity against malaria in genetically diverse populations is urgently needed. This study identifies parasite-specific immune responses and conservatively conserved epitopes that could be effective against multiple strains of P. falciparum in genetically diverse populations. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of a simpler and cost-effective intervention.
Article
Immunology
Meenal Chand, Jae-Yeon Choi, Anasuya C. Pal, Pallavi Singh, Vandana Kumari, Jose Thekkiniath, Jacqueline Gagnon, Sushma Timalsina, Gauri Gaur, Scott Williams, Michel Ledizet, Choukri Ben Mamoun
Summary: The rise in tick-borne diseases poses a significant threat to global public health. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of BmGPI12, an antigen related to human babesiosis, and identifies five unique epitopes recognized by a set of monoclonal antibodies, which can be used for the detection of B. microti infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ning Ma, Huihui Liu, Yang Zhang, Wei Liu, Zeyin Liang, Qian Wang, Yuhua Sun, Lihong Wang, Yuan Li, Hanyun Ren, Yujun Dong
Summary: This study identifies the testis-cancer antigen AKAP4 as a potential target for multiple myeloma (MM) and demonstrates the efficacy of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) targeting AKAP4 in lysis of MM cells.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Scott M. Anthony, Natalija Van Braeckel-Budimir, Steven J. Moioffer, Stephanie van de Wall, Qiang Shan, Rahul Vijay, Ramakrishna Sompallae, Stacey M. Hartwig, Isaac J. Jensen, Steven M. Varga, Noah S. Butler, Hai-Hui Xue, Vladimir P. Badovinac, John T. Harty
Summary: IAV infection generates Trm CD8(+)T cells in mice, while repeated antigen exposure produces 4M CD8(+)T cells with enhanced protective capacity. Enhanced protection by 4M cells is associated with increased expression of granzyme A/B and stable maintenance of CD69(+)CD103(+) 4M CD8(+)T cells, improving control of viral infections in mLN.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mie Jin Lim, Eul Noh, Ro-Woon Lee, Kyong-Hee Jung, Won Park
Summary: This study reports the first case series of HLA B51-related occurrences of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a family. Despite the absence of the HLA B27 haplotype, the father and his daughters were diagnosed with AS. Among the five daughters, one had AS and three, including the daughter with AS, were positive for HLA B51. The study found that daughters with the HLA B51 haplotype exhibited bilateral grade 1 sacroiliitis.
WORLD JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CASES
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Chen Chen, Junzhi Su, Mingmin Lu, Lixin Xu, Ruofeng Yan, Xiangrui Li, Xiaokai Song
Summary: In this study, a DNA vaccine encoding T-cell epitopes derived from common antigens of Eimeria parasites was designed and shown to increase immune responses and alleviate enteric lesions in vaccinated chickens. However, the vaccine's protective efficacy against multiple Eimeria coinfections was not satisfactory.
VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jing Liu, Xuefeng Chen, Ju Wang, Fang Wu, Jie Zhang, Jiangtao Dong, Hui Zhang, Xiaoling Liu, Na Hu, Jiangdong Wu, Le Zhang, Wei Cheng, Chunjun Zhang, Wan Jiang Zhang
Summary: The study predicted and identified 5 novel candidate CD4+T cell epitope polypeptides, with P-39, P-62, and P-39+P-62 showing effective induction of CD4+T cell proliferation and increased secretion of cytokines, providing potential candidate epitope polypeptides for the development of TB-specific diagnosis reagents and novel TB epitope vaccines.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chao Hu, Meiying Shen, Xiaojian Han, Qian Chen, Luo Li, Siyin Chen, Jing Zhang, Fengxia Gao, Wang Wang, Yingming Wang, Tingting Li, Shenglong Li, Jingjing Huang, Jianwei Wang, Ju Zhu, Dan Chen, Qingchen Wu, Kun Tao, Da Pang, Aishun Jin
Summary: This study identified specific CD8(+) T cell responses in over 75% of COVID-19 convalescent patients, with the N361-369 epitope from the N protein being the most dominant. Two N361-369-specific TCRs may offer functional superiority in cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Surgery
Chenlei Wen, Lei Zhang, Ying Yang, Yangbing Jin, Dandan Ren, Zehui Zhang, Siyi Zou, Fanlu Li, Huaibo Sun, Jiabin Jin, Xiongxiong Lu, Junjie Xie, Dongfeng Cheng, Zhiwei Xu, Huan Chen, Beibei Mao, Jun Zhang, Jiancheng Wang, Xiaxing Deng, Chenghong Peng, Hongwei Li, Cen Jiang, Lin Lin, Henghui Zhang, Hao Chen, Baiyong Shen, Qian Zhan
Summary: The HLA-I genotype was found to be associated with postoperative outcomes in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. Patients with the HLA-A02(+)B62(+)B44(-) genotype had a higher risk of relapse and shorter survival time. This finding has important implications for the treatment and prognosis of early-stage pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Suzanne Bezstarosti, Kim H. Bakker, Cynthia S. M. Kramer, Johan W. de Fijter, Marlies E. J. Reinders, Arend Mulder, Frans H. J. Claas, Sebastiaan Heidt
Summary: Not all eplets in the HLA Epitope Registry have the same level of evidence for antibody verification, highlighting the need for further standardization using high quality data.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Jucier Goncalves, Percival Degrava Sampaio-Barros, Samuel Katsuyuki Shinjo
Summary: This article provides a literature mini-review on the clinical profile of patients with spondylarthritis who are HLA-B51-positive. It suggests that patients who are positive for both HLA-B27 and HLA-B51 are more commonly found in men, Asians, and between the third and ninth decades of life. These patients are more prone to developing peripheral joint conditions, along with cutaneous manifestations such as oral ulcers and uveitis. Therefore, there is a need for more robust epidemiological studies with accurate methodologies and multiple centers to better understand the role of HLA-B51 in patients with spondylarthritis.
WORLD JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CASES
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Emanuele Marchi, Narayan Ramamurthy, M. Azim Ansari, Caroline E. Harrer, Eleanor Barnes, Paul Klenerman
Summary: This study aimed to profile the transcriptomics of HCV-infected livers and assess the effect of major predictors of clinical outcome such as IFNL4 host genotype and sex. The results showed that underlying cirrhotic state had the most substantial impact on transcriptional responses, and sex and IL28B/IFNL4 genotype also played important roles in antiviral responses.
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Georg M. Lauer
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Stephan Buch, Hamish Innes, Philipp Ludwig Lutz, Hans Dieter Nischalke, Jens U. Marquardt, Janett Fischer, Karl Heinz Weiss, Jonas Rosendahl, Astrid Marot, Marcin Krawczyk, Markus Casper, Frank Lammert, Florian Eyer, Arndt Vogel, Silke Marhenke, Johann von Felden, Rohini Sharma, Stephen Rahul Atkinson, Andrew McQuillin, Jacob Nattermann, Clemens Schafmayer, Andre Franke, Christian Strassburg, Marcella Rietschel, Heidi Altmann, Stefan Sulk, Veera Raghavan Thangapandi, Mario Brosch, Carolin Lackner, Rudolf E. Stauber, Ali Canbay, Alexander Link, Thomas Reiberger, Mattias Mandorfer, Georg Semmler, Bernhard Scheiner, Christian Datz, Stefano Romeo, Stefano Ginanni Corradini, William Lucien Irving, Joanne R. Morling, Indra Neil Guha, Eleanor Barnes, M. Azim Ansari, Jocelyn Quistrebert, Luca Valenti, Sacha A. Mueller, Marsha Yvonne Morgan, Jean-Francois Dufour, Jonel Trebicka, Thomas Berg, Pierre Deltenre, Sebastian Mueller, Jochen Hampe, Felix Stickel
Summary: This study identifies rs2242652 in TERT as a novel protective factor for HCC in patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Eleanor Barnes, Graham S. Cooke, Georg M. Lauer, Raymond T. Chung
Summary: This article discusses the global health concern of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the limitations of using directly acting antiviral (DAA) drugs for treatment. Without an effective HCV vaccine, the authors argue that the development of a controlled human infection model (CHIM) for HCV is crucial. They propose a study design for the HCV CHIM, including the selection of volunteers, development of an infectious inoculum, evaluation of immune and viral parameters, etc. The authors conclude that an HCV CHIM is realistic and can address safety and ethical concerns, and it is difficult to envision the development of an HCV vaccine without it.
Article
Immunology
Sarah Fidler, Julie Fox, Timothy Tipoe, Stephanie Longet, Tom Tipton, Movin Abeywickrema, Sandra Adele, Jasmini Alagaratnam, Mohammad Ali, Parvinder K. Aley, Suhail Aslam, Anbhu Balasubramanian, Anna Bara, Tanveer Bawa, Anthony Brown, Helen Brown, Federica Cappuccini, Sophie Davies, Jamie Fowler, Leila Godfrey, Anna L. Goodman, Kathrine Hilario, Carl-Philipp Hackstein, Moncy Mathew, Yama F. Mujadidi, Alice Packham, Claire Petersen, Emma Plested, Katrina M. Pollock, Maheshi N. Ramasamy, Hannah Robinson, Nicola Robinson, Patpong Rongkard, Helen Sanders, Teona Serafimova, Niamh Spence, Anele Waters, Danielle Woods, Panagiota Zacharopoulou, Eleanor Barnes, Susanna Dunachie, Philip Goulder, Paul Klenerman, Alan Winston, Adrian V. S. Hill, Sarah C. Gilbert, Miles Carroll, Andrew J. Pollard, Teresa Lambe, Ane Ogbe, John Frater
Summary: People with HIV on antiretroviral therapy and good CD4 T-cell counts can generate effective immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination. A third vaccine dose can significantly enhance B- and T-cell immunity, including responses to known variants of concern.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Julia Lang-Meli, Christoph Neumann-Haefelin
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Julia Dietz, Beat Muellhaupt, Peter Buggisch, Christiana Graf, Kai-Henrik Peiffer, Katrin Matschenz, Joern M. Schattenberg, Christoph Antoni, Stefan Mauss, Claus Niederau, Thomas Discher, Janina Trauth, Georg Dultz, Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, Felix Piecha, Hartwig Klinker, Tobias Mueller, Thomas Berg, Christoph Neumann-Haefelin, Christoph P. Berg, Stefan Zeuzem, Christoph Sarrazin
Summary: This study evaluated the long-term persistence of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) in HCV patients treated with DAAs. Low-to medium-level RASs were found to persist over time, while high-level resistant RASs gradually disappeared. Different patterns of RAS persistence according to HCV subtype could have implications for retreatment with first-generation DAAs and for global HCV elimination goals.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
C. Green, J. McGinley, C. Sande, S. Capone, S. Makvandi-Nejad, A. Vitelli, L. Silva-Reyes, S. Bibi, C. Otasowie, D. Sheerin, A. Thompson, C. Dold, P. Klenerman, E. Barnes, L. Dorrell, C. Rollier, A. Pollard, D. O'Connor
Summary: In this immunological study, cohorts of healthy younger and older adults were immunized with an adenovirus-vectored RSV vaccine either intramuscularly or intranasally. Differential gene expression was observed in blood samples after intramuscular prime vaccination, but not after intranasal prime vaccination. Intranasally primed participants showed more gene expression changes upon boosting. The gene expression changes mainly involved immune-related biological processes.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
David B. Reeg, Maike Hofmann, Christoph Neumann-Haefelin, Robert Thimme, Hendrik Luxenburger
Summary: Cellular immunity is crucial for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination induces T cell responses that protect against severe COVID-19. However, immunocompromised individuals have impaired virus-specific immune responses to both natural infection and vaccination. This review focuses on cancer patients, people living with HIV, and solid organ transplant recipients, providing an overview of their SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immune responses and their clinical implications.
Article
Immunology
Sile A. Johnson, Eloise Phillips, Sandra Adele, Stephanie Longet, Tom Malone, Chris Mason, Lizzie Stafford, Anni Jamsen, Siobhan Gardiner, Alexandra Deeks, Janice Neo, Emily J. Blurton, Jemima White, Muhammed Ali, Barbara Kronsteiner, Joseph D. Wilson, Donal T. Skelly, Katie Jeffery, Christopher P. Conlon, Philip Goulder, Eleanor PITCH Consortium, Miles Carroll, Eleanor Barnes, Paul Klenerman, Susanna J. Dunachie
Summary: PITCH ELISpot S1 + S2 had greater sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell responses compared with the QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay tube Ag3, except for the acute infection group. The QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay showed potential as a T-cell evaluation tool soon after SARS-CoV-2 infection but has lower sensitivity for use in reliable evaluation of vaccination or more distant infection.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Maria Paola Anolli, Elisabetta Degasperi, Lena Allweiss, Angelo Sangiovanni, Marco Maggioni, Caroline Scholtes, Valerie Oberhardt, Christoph Neumann-Haefelin, Maura Dandri, Fabien Zoulim, Pietro Lampertico
Summary: Bulevirtide has received conditional approval from the EMA for treating chronic hepatitis delta, but the optimal duration of therapy remains unknown. In this study, a patient with compensated cirrhosis and esophageal varices achieved hepatitis delta cure after 3 years of bulevirtide monotherapy. Virological and biochemical responses were maintained during the 72-week off-therapy follow-up, and significant improvements were observed in liver biopsy results.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Weiqi Liao, Carol A. C. Coupland, Hamish Innes, Peter Jepsen, Philippa C. Matthews, Cori Campbell, The DeLIVER consortium DeLIVER consortium, Eleanor Barnes, Julia Hippisley-Cox
Summary: This study aims to understand the disparities in epidemiology and clinical pathways of primary liver cancer in England. The findings show that age, sex, socioeconomic deprivation, ethnicity, and geographical regions are all significantly associated with liver cancer incidence. Patients aged 80 years and above have a higher risk of being diagnosed at late stages and have poorer survival rates. Men are at a higher risk of liver cancer than women, and survival rates are generally poor.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Shona C. Moore, Barbara Kronsteiner, Stephanie Longet, Sandra Adele, Alexandra S. Deeks, Chang Liu, Wanwisa Dejnirattisai, Laura Silva Reyes, Naomi Meardon, Sian Faustini, Saly Al-Taei, Tom Tipton, Luisa M. Hering, Adrienn Angyal, Rebecca Brown, Alexander R. Nicols, Susan L. Dobson, Piyada Supasa, Aekkachai Tuekprakhon, Andrew Cross, Jessica K. Tyerman, Hailey Hornsby, Irina Grouneva, Megan Plowright, Peijun Zhang, Thomas A. H. Newman, Jeremy M. Nell, Priyanka Abraham, Mohammad Ali, Tom Malone, Isabel Neale, Eloise Phillips, Joseph D. Wilson, Sam M. Murray, Martha Zewdie, Adrian Shields, Emily C. Horner, Lucy H. Booth, Lizzie Stafford, Sagida Bibi, Daniel G. Wootton, Alexander J. Mentzer, Christopher P. Conlon, Katie Jeffery, Philippa C. Matthews, Andrew J. Pollard, Anthony Brown, Sarah L. Rowland-Jones, Juthathip Mongkolsapaya, Rebecca P. Payne, Christina Dold, Teresa Lambe, James E. D. Thaventhiran, Gavin Screaton, Eleanor Barnes, Susan Hopkins, Victoria Hall, Christopher J. A. Ducan, Alex Richter, Miles Carroll, Thushan I. de Silva, Paul Klenerman, Susann Dunachie, Lance Turtle, PITCH Consortium
Summary: In this study, the researchers observed the immune response changes in 684 UK healthcare workers after receiving two doses of BNT162b2 or AZD1222 vaccines during a follow-up period of 6-9 months. The study found that the antibody and memory B cell responses were relatively stable, while the levels of binding and neutralizing antibodies declined. The study also found that individuals with prior infection had stronger and broader T cell responses to the vaccine, especially after receiving the third dose.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eleanor Barnes, Carl S. Goodyear, Michelle Willicombe, Charlotte Gaskell, Stefan Siebert, Thushan I. de Silva, Sam M. Murray, Daniel Rea, John A. Snowden, Miles Carroll, Sarah Pirrie, Sarah J. Bowden, Susanna J. Dunachie, Alex Richter, Zixiang Lim, Jack Satsangi, Gordon Cook, Ann Pope, Ana Hughes, Molly Harrison, Sean H. Lim, Paul Miller, Paul Klenerman, Pitch Consortium, Neil Basu, Ashley Gilmour, Sophie Irwin, Georgina Meacham, Thomas Marjot, Stavros Dimitriadis, Peter Kelleher, Maria Prendecki, Candice Clarke, Paige Mortimer, Stacey McIntyre, Rachael Selby, Naomi Meardon, Dung Nguyen, Tom Tipton, Stephanie Longet, Stephen Laidlaw, Kim Orchard, Georgina Ireland, David Thomas, Pamela Kearns, Amanda Kirkham, Iain B. McInnes
Summary: Serological analysis and infection outcomes of 2,686 participants with immune-suppressive diseases who received two COVID-19 vaccines revealed specific clinical phenotypes that might benefit from targeted COVID-19 therapeutic strategies. Some patients failed to develop anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, with the highest vaccine failure rates observed in ANCA-associated vasculitis, hemodialysis, and solid organ transplant recipients. Decreased serological and T cell responses were associated with severe COVID-19. In summary, we identified clinical phenotypes that may benefit from targeted COVID-19 therapeutic strategies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Stephanie Vollmer-Raschdorf, Jassin Rashidi-Alavijeh, Sebastian Voigt, Hartmut Hengel, Benjamin Borchardt, Daniela Huzly, Eva-Maria Huessler, Juergen In Der Schmitten, Anne Halenius, Katharina Willuweit, Suzan Botzenhardt, Mirko Trilling, Tobias Boettler, Dorothea Dehnen
Summary: This study aims to investigate the immune responses to the Shingrix vaccine in different patient populations and compare their vaccine reactions. The study will collect blood samples from 308 patients at seven different time points and analyze varicella zoster virus (VZV) and glycoprotein E (gE)-specific IgG and T cell responses. The primary outcome is to measure and compare the vaccine responses based on the type and degree of immunosuppression using antibody detection assays. Secondary outcomes include comparing the CD4(+) T cell responses and the severity of vaccination reactions among the three patient cohorts. The study also aims to find a potential association between VZV immune responses and clinical protection against shingles.