Article
Immunology
Stephanie Ascough, Rebecca J. Ingram, Karen K. Y. Chu, Stephen J. Moore, Theresa Gallagher, Hugh Dyson, Mehmet Doganay, Gokhan Metan, Yusuf Ozkul, Les Baillie, E. Diane Williamson, John H. Robinson, Bernard Maillere, Rosemary J. Boyton, Daniel M. Altmann
Summary: This study investigated the immune response to the causative agent of anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, using humanised HLA class II transgenic mouse strains. It found that individuals with different HLA types who were infected or vaccinated against anthrax exhibited CD4+ T cell responses to multiple epitopes of the bacteria. The study also revealed that HLA polymorphism influenced the variability of immune responses, which is crucial for planning protective strategies against anthrax.
Review
Immunology
Jorge A. Soto, Nicolas M. S. Galvez, Catalina A. Andrade, Mario A. Ramirez, Claudia A. Riedel, Alexis M. Kalergis, Susan M. Bueno
Summary: BCG vaccine is used to prevent tuberculosis infection and has the ability to enhance immune response to other vaccines and promote nonspecific immunomodulatory effects through epigenetic reprogramming and metabolic shifts.
TRENDS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Mathieu Mateo, Stephanie Reynard, Alexandra Journeaux, Clara Germain, Jimmy Hortion, Xavier Carnec, Caroline Picard, Nicolas Baillet, Virginie Borges-Cardoso, Othmann Merabet, Audrey Vallve, Stephane Barron, Ophelie Jourjon, Orianne Lacroix, Aurelie Duthey, Manon Dirheimer, Gregory Jouvion, Pierre-Henri Moreau, Lyne Fellmann, Caroline Carbonnelle, Herve Raoul, Frederic Tangy, Sylvain Baize
Summary: Developing a safe and effective Lassa virus vaccine is crucial in Western Africa to combat recurring outbreaks and emergence of the virus in new countries. Recent studies have demonstrated that immunization with measles virus vector expressing Lassa virus antigens can provide protection against diverse strains of the virus, both heterologous and homologous, generating long-lasting immune responses.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Ruihua Wang, Ying Sun, Bo-Hua Kuang, Xiao Yan, Jinju Lei, Yu-Xin Lin, Jinxiu Tian, Yating Li, Xiaoduo Xie, Tao Chen, Hui Zhang, Yi-Xin Zeng, Jincun Zhao, Lin Feng
Summary: The impact of HLA and KIR genotypes and their combinations on COVID-19 outcome was investigated. Individuals with the HLA-Bw4/KIR3DL1 combination had a 58.8% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19. This suggests that the synergistic responsiveness of CTLs and NK cells can efficiently control SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Yadira Pastor, Nour Ghazzaui, Adele Hammoudi, Mireille Centlivre, Sylvain Cardinaud, Yves Levy
Summary: Developing safe, long-term, and effective vaccines for infectious diseases remains challenging. Targeting antigens directly to dendritic cells (DCs) can enhance immune response, and using in silico approaches to select highly immunogenic and conserved epitopes can improve vaccine efficacy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Bingjie Zhang, Rabi Upadhyay, Yuhan Hao, Marie I. Samanovic, Ramin S. Herati, John D. Blair, Jordan Axelrad, Mark J. Mulligan, Dan R. Littman, Rahul Satija
Summary: This study analyzed the T cell response after BNT162b2 vaccination using multimodal sequencing technologies. The researchers identified CD8(+) T cell subpopulations and explored their transcriptome, chromatin landscape, and immunophenotype. They also found that the frequency and differentiation outcomes of these CD8(+) T cell subpopulations were predictive of clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yi Jing, Yuelin Kong, John McGinty, Gabriele Blahnik-Fagan, Thomas Lee, Stephanie Orozco-Figueroa, Matthew L. Bettini, Eddie A. James, Maria Bettini
Summary: Accumulating evidence suggests that posttranslationally modified islet neoantigens play a critical role in type 1 diabetes. However, our understanding of thymic development and peripheral activation of PTM autoantigen-reactive T cells is limited. This study found that deamidation of GAD65(115-127) generates a more immunogenic epitope, leading to recruitment of T cells with promiscuous recognition of both deamidated and native epitopes and reduced frequency of regulatory T cells.
Article
Immunology
Maria Florencia Soler, Rocio del Carmen Bravo-Miana, Dana Maria Negretti-Borga, Paula Subirada, Vanina Alejandra Alamino, Maria Cecilia Sanchez, Ana Carolina Donadio, Claudia Gabriela Pellizas, Maria del Mar Montesinos
Summary: T3-conditioned dendritic cell vaccine shows effective anti-tumor effects in a murine model of colon carcinoma, enhancing immune response by increasing CD86 expression, promoting the production of inflammatory factors, and inducing specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. T3 also promotes the maturation and activation of human dendritic cells.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Marie F. Hemon, Nathalie C. Lambert, Jean Roudier, Isabelle Auger
Summary: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often preceded by the emergence of anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPAs). This study found that mice expressing the RA-associated HLA-DRB1 alleles were more sensitive to PAD2 immunization and produced higher levels of anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Wenping Gong, Yan Liang, Jie Mi, Zaixing Jia, Yong Xue, Jie Wang, Lan Wang, Yusen Zhou, Shihui Sun, Xueqiong Wu
Summary: The study developed a novel tuberculosis vaccine MP3RT based on peptides, which showed promising protective efficacy in humanized mice by significantly reducing pathogen load and inflammatory cell count, as well as inducing high levels of IFN-γ and CD3(+)IFN-γ(+) T lymphocytes. These findings provide a foundation for the development of peptide-based vaccines against TB.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Aryandra Arya, Sunil K. Arora
Summary: In this study, three multiepitope vaccine candidates were designed and tested in a hamster model of visceral leishmaniasis. The results showed that these vaccines induced a high level of protective immune response, with one candidate almost achieving sterile immunity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faezzah Baharom, Ramiro A. Ramirez-Valdez, Ahad Khalilnezhad, Shabnam Khalilnezhad, Marlon Dillon, Dalton Hermans, Sloane Fussell, Kennedy K. S. Tobin, Charles-Antoine Dutertre, Geoffrey M. Lynn, Soren Muller, Florent Ginhoux, Andrew S. Ishizuka, Robert A. Seder
Summary: Therapeutic cancer vaccines aim to enhance tumor-specific T cell immunity, but suppressive mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment can limit T cell function. This study investigated how different routes of vaccination impact intratumoral myeloid cells and found that intravenous administration of a nanoparticle vaccine induced tumor regression mediated by systemic type I interferon, leading to a reduction in intratumoral monocytes expressing immune-regulatory genes. In humans, these gene signatures are associated with worse outcomes. These results suggest that combining the generation of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells with remodeling of the tumor microenvironment holds promise for tumor immunotherapy.
Article
Virology
Anna M. Hassebroek, Harini Sooryanarain, Connie L. Heffron, Seth A. Hawks, Tanya LeRoith, Thomas E. Cecere, William B. Stone, Debra Walter, Hassan M. Mahsoub, Bo Wang, Debin Tian, Hannah M. Ivester, Irving C. Allen, Albert J. Auguste, Nisha K. Duggal, Chenming Zhang, Xiang-Jin Meng
Summary: This study developed a vaccine based on hepatitis B virus core antigen, which expressed B and T cell epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 and was evaluated for its immunogenicity and protective efficacy. The results showed that the vaccine induced specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, but had limited effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pernille Kristine Fisker Christensen, Axel Kornerup Hansen, Sren Skov, Britta Cathrina Martel, Jesper Larsen, Maria Helena Hoyer-Hansen, Janne Koch
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated whether human immune cells played a role in the induction of psoriasis-like skin inflammation in hFlt3L-boosted BRGSF-HIS mice treated with IMQ. The results showed that although the mice exhibited clinical skin inflammation, increased epidermal thickness, and influx of human immune cells, the human immune response was not significant. Instead, the main driving cellular mechanisms were of murine origin, as indicated by the increased number of murine neutrophils and cytokines and chemokines in the skin and systemically after IMQ application.
Article
Immunology
Monika Majewska-Szczepanik, Anna Strzepa, Katarzyna Marcinska, Marian Szczepanik
Summary: The contact hypersensitivity response (CHS) is a mouse model that mimics allergic contact dermatitis in humans. Experiments in mice showed that applying a protein antigen to the skin before inducing CHS effectively reduces the inflammatory response. Epicutaneous immunization also suppresses inflammatory response in various mouse models of autoimmune diseases. This suggests that EC immunization could be a therapeutic approach for T cell-mediated diseases in humans.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Christian J. Maine, Guilhem Richard, Darina S. Spasova, Shigeki J. Miyake-Stoner, Jessica Sparks, Leonard Moise, Ryan P. Sullivan, Olivia Garijo, Melissa Choz, Jenna M. Crouse, Allison Aguilar, Melanie D. Olesiuk, Katie Lyons, Katrina Salvador, Melissa Blomgren, Jason L. DeHart, Kurt I. Kamrud, Gad Berdugo, Anne S. De Groot, Nathaniel S. Wang, Parinaz Aliahmad
Summary: By combining antigen selection, construct design, and a robust vaccine platform based on SMARRT technology, effective control of tumor growth and generation of high-quality T cell responses can be achieved in both mice and non-human primates, showing promise for translational and clinical application in therapeutic oncology vaccines.
Article
Immunology
Anne S. De Groot, Amy S. Rosenberg, S. M. Shahjahan Miah, Gail Skowron, Brian J. Roberts, Sandra Lelias, Frances E. Terry, William D. Martin
Summary: Identification of T cell epitopes recognized by Tregs can help understand the role of thymic Tregs and induced Tregs in autoimmune diseases and allergies. The Tregitope FV621 derived from Factor V has potent immunomodulatory effects, suppressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses and inhibiting immune responses in vivo and in vitro, especially when conjugated to albumin. Prospective identification tools combined with validating assays may facilitate future Tregitope discoveries.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Anne S. De Groot, Ankit K. Desai, Sandra Lelias, S. M. Shahjahan Miah, Frances E. Terry, Sundos Khan, Cindy Li, John S. Yi, Matt Ardito, William D. Martin, Priya S. Kishnani
Summary: PIMA study aims to develop a tool to quantify T cell epitopes for predicting the risk of developing anti-drug antibodies in infantile-onset Pompe disease children. The tool combines EpiMatrix and HLA-restricted iTEM, and can be used to assess ADA risk. The study confirmed the immunomodulatory effect of GAA epitopes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Vinayaka Kotraiah, Timothy W. Phares, Frances E. Terry, Pooja Hindocha, Sarah E. Silk, Carolyn M. Nielsen, Leonard Moise, Kenneth D. Tucker, Rebecca Ashfield, William D. Martin, Anne S. De Groot, Simon J. Draper, Gabriel M. Gutierrez, Amy R. Noe
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of class II epitope content in five key blood stage malaria antigens, confirming their efficacy through in vitro HLA binding validation and ex vivo T cell response confirmation. The results suggest that high antibody titer and rapid antibody binding kinetics are crucial for effective malaria vaccine design.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Meghan McCarthy, Katherine Barry, Cindy Estrada, Brenda Veliz, Damaris Rosales, Morgan Leonard, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: The Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC) employs Navegantes as key team members to provide care and improve the health status of uninsured Spanish-speaking patients. The development of the Advanced Navegante Training Program (ANTP) prepares community members to become certified CHWs who can provide patient navigation and professional medical interpretation services, leading to higher-paying and fulfilling careers for trainees. The ANTP offers a low-cost, community-based model for training CHWs to promote health and well-being among medically underserved patients.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Sofia Ines Giorgetti, Marina Etcheverrigaray, Frances Terry, William Martin, Anne Searls De Groot, Natalia Ceaglio, Marcos Oggero, Eduardo Federico Mufarrege
Summary: Human interferon alpha (hIFN-alpha) is the current FDA approved therapy for chronic Hepatitis B and C virus infections, with recent efficacy demonstrated in COVID-19 patients. Development of a hyperglycosylated IFN called GMOP-IFN has been utilized to optimize the cytokine's pharmacokinetic profile. De-immunization of Functional Therapeutics (DeFT) approach has successfully produced GMOP-IFN variants with reduced immunogenicity and preserved antiviral function, making them promising candidates for antiviral therapy.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Guilhem Richard, Michael F. Princiotta, Dominique Bridon, William D. Martin, Gary D. Steinberg, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: The field of cancer therapy has been transformed in less than a decade with the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors, next generation sequencing, and the discovery of neoantigens. Immune responses to neoantigens through vaccination have become a focus in precision immunotherapy. Validation of personalized vaccine design pipelines is crucial for revolutionizing neoantigen-based vaccine design and delivery.
EXPERT REVIEW OF VACCINES
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Guilhem Richard, Michael Princiotta, Gary Steinberg, William Martin, Anne de Groot
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Ann E. Sluder, Susan Raju Paul, Leonard Moise, Christina Dold, Guilhem Richard, Laura Silva-Reyes, Laurie A. Baeten, Anja Scholzen, Patrick M. Reeves, Andrew J. Pollard, Anja Garritsen, Richard A. Bowen, Anne S. De Groot, Christine Rollier, Mark C. Poznansky
Summary: This study aimed to develop a T cell-targeted vaccine to induce specific cell-mediated immunity for protection against Q fever. By selecting suitable epitopes and expressing them in viral vectors, the vaccine candidates showed antigen-specific T cell responses in animal models, establishing a foundation for future vaccine efficacy studies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Leonard Moise, Lauren M. Meyers, Hyesun Jang, Mayara Grizotte-Lake, Christine M. Boyle, Bethany McGonnigal, Pan Ge, Ted M. Ross, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: Strategies to enhance immunogenicity of influenza vaccines are crucial for pandemic preparedness. A study showed that incorporating a memory CD4(+) T cell epitope from H3N2 into H7N9 HA can improve immune response and antibody production.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Swan Tan, Lenny Moise, Douglas S. Pearce, Constantinos S. Kyriakis, Andres H. Gutierrez, Ted M. Ross, Justin Bahl, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: This study used the EpiCC tool to assess the impact of the emergent H1N1 G4 swine influenza A virus (G4) on swine and human populations. The results showed that the T cell epitope cross-conservation between US commercial swine vaccines and G4 was poor, while a recent European swine influenza vaccine (HL03) provided good protection against G4.
INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine Barry, Johanna A. Suskin, Julia Testa, Morgan Leonard, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportional impact on uninsured and minority populations, exacerbating long-standing health inequities. Free clinics, such as Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC), play an important role in improving access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations for at-risk individuals during the pandemic.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jiani Chen, Swan Tan, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Leonard Moise, Pedro A. Piedra, Anne S. De Groot, Justin Bahl
Summary: This study computationally predicted T cell epitopes in the F and G proteins of RSV wild circulating strains and found that RSV strains can be clustered into three RSV-A groups and two RSV-B groups on the T epitope landscape, suggesting potentially distinct T cell immunity. The study also observed higher conservation of F protein T cell epitopes among recent epidemic strains and decreased content of G protein T cell epitopes. These findings are valuable for vaccine design and assessment.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tiffani Crippin, Karamoko Tounkara, Eliza Squibb, Sarah Beseme, Katherine Barry, Kotou Sangare, Saidou Coulibaly, Pinda Fane, Aliou Bagayoko, Ousmane A. Koita, Ibrahima Teguete, Anne S. De Groot
Summary: Cervical cancer, mainly caused by HPV, is a major health issue in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in West Africa. This study highlights the importance of community-centered education campaigns and the use of story-telling cloth to increase awareness and uptake of cervical cancer screening in the region, where knowledge about HPV and CC is limited.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Anne S. De Groot, Sundos Khan, Aimee E. Mattei, Sandra Lelias, William D. Martin
Summary: Biologics developers are exploring non-antibody modalities for therapeutic interventions, using modified "natural" protein scaffolds to deliver bioactive sequences. These new non-antibody scaffolds have advantages such as smaller size, improved stability, and easier synthesis compared to monoclonal antibodies, and are believed to have low immunogenic potential. However, evaluating their immunogenicity risk potential, especially related to T cell epitopes, is still necessary. Assessing the immunogenicity of scaffold proteins is important for drug developers and clinicians.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)