Review
Immunology
Susanna Esposito, Bahaa Abu-Raya, Paolo Bonanni, Fabianne Cahn-Sellem, Katie L. Flanagan, Federico Martinon Torres, Asuncion Mejias, Simon Nadel, Marco A. P. Safadi, Arne Simon
Summary: Routine childhood vaccinations are vital for protecting children from serious diseases, and active vaccinations in infants are highly effective. However, some important viral pathogens, such as RSV, do not yet have approved vaccines. The introduction of anti-viral monoclonal antibodies, like nirsevimab, into pediatric vaccine schedules could potentially offer additional protection for infants against RSV.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Rosa Rodriguez-Fernandez, Asuncion Mejias, Octavio Ramilo
Summary: RSV is the leading cause of hospitalizations in infants globally, and Palivizumab is currently the only approved drug for preventing severe RSV infection in high-risk infants. Advances in monoclonal antibody technology have paved the way for the development of new strategies for preventing RSV infections, with a focus on new neutralizing epitopes and improved half life of antibodies.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Rosa Rodriguez-Fernandez, Asuncion Mejias, Octavio Ramilo
Summary: RSV is a major cause of hospitalizations in infants, and Palivizumab is the only licensed agent for preventing severe RSV infection in high-risk infants. New generation mAbs targeting neutralizing epitopes are expected to provide better protection with fewer injections.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Medical Laboratory Technology
Tahir S. Pillay, Serge Muyldermans
Summary: Antibodies have been pivotal in diagnostic methods, transitioning from polyclonal to monoclonal antibodies, and now to single-domain antibodies like nanobodies. This evolution has greatly enhanced diagnostic accuracy and simplified processes of protein re-engineering and expression.
ANNALS OF LABORATORY MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yu-Heng Vivian Ma, Amanda Sparkes, Ema Romao, Shrayasee Saha, Jean Gariepy
Summary: Novel murine anti-human VISTA monoclonal antibodies, nanobodies, and cross-reactive rat anti-murine/human VISTA antibodies were developed. These agonistic VISTA antibodies have the potential to treat inflammatory disorders.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yusei Matsuzaki, Wataru Aoki, Takumi Miyazaki, Shunsuke Aburaya, Yuta Ohtani, Kaho Kajiwara, Naoki Koike, Hiroyoshi Minakuchi, Natsuko Miura, Tetsuya Kadonosono, Mitsuyoshi Ueda
Summary: The peptide barcoding technique allows for high-throughput and accurate investigation of sequence-function relationships of multiple protein binders simultaneously. By combining mutagenised nanobody libraries with targeted proteomics, it enables the identification of important residues affecting binding affinity in one experiment.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Dvir Gatt, Isaac Martin, Rawan AlFouzan, Theo J. J. Moraes
Summary: RSV is a common cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease, particularly in young children, but there is currently no approved vaccine for prevention. In the past two decades, significant advancements have been made in understanding RSV's pathogenesis and immunopathology, leading to the development of potential vaccines and successful implementation of passive immunization. This review provides an update on current treatment options for acute RSV disease and different therapeutic approaches for RSV prevention.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Emanuele Andreano, Ida Paciello, Monia Bardelli, Simona Tavarini, Chiara Sammicheli, Elisabetta Frigimelica, Silvia Guidotti, Giulia Torricelli, Marco Biancucci, Ugo D'Oro, Sumana Chandramouli, Matthew J. Bottomley, Rino Rappuoli, Oretta Finco, Francesca Buricchi
Summary: RSV is a major cause of death from lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children, with vaccines targeting individuals with pre-existing immunity being in phase III clinical studies. Investigating the background immunity impacted by vaccination, researchers looked into functional and genetic features of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection using human memory B cells. The study found that most nAbs recognized both prefusion and postfusion conformations of the RSV F-protein, with a smaller fraction binding exclusively to the prefusion conformation.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Eugenio Baraldi, Giovanni Checcucci Lisi, Claudio Costantino, Jon H. Heinrichs, Paolo Manzoni, Matteo Ricco, Michelle Roberts, Natalya Vassilouthis
Summary: RSV is a highly contagious virus that is the leading cause of respiratory infections in children, resulting in a significant number of hospitalizations and deaths. Current preventive measures are not sufficient to meet the needs of all children, but new technologies under development offer hope for addressing this issue.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
David Hodgson, Mihaly Koltai, Fabienne Krauer, Stefan Flasche, Mark Jit, Katherine E. Atkins
Summary: This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of Nirsevimab intervention programs in England and Wales, indicating that they have the potential to be a cost-effective approach for preventing and treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Alessandro Messina, Chiara Germano, Vincenzo Avellis, Elena Tavella, Valentina Dodaro, Alessandro Massaro, Raffaele Vitale, Bianca Masturzo, Paolo Manzoni
Summary: RSV is the main cause of lower respiratory tract infections in newborns. Factors such as prematurity, male gender, and certain medical conditions increase the severity of RSV infection. RSV infection leads to long-term negative respiratory outcomes and a burden on healthcare resources. Prevention is the most effective strategy, with hygiene, breastfeeding, and passive immunization being the main methods. Future prevention strategies may include more potent antibodies, maternal vaccination, and active immunization in children.
EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Tyler Brady, Corinne Cayatte, Tiffany L. Roe, Scott D. Speer, Hong Ji, Leeann Machiesky, Tianhui Zhang, Deidre Wilkins, Kevin M. Tuffy, Elizabeth J. Kelly
Summary: Nirsevimab possesses Fc effector activity comparable with the current standard of care, palivizumab. However, despite possessing the capacity for Fc effector activity, data from RSV challenge experiments illustrate that nirsevimab-mediated protection is primarily dependent on direct virus neutralization.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Susanna Esposito, Gayatri Amirthalingam, Matteo Bassetti, Francesco Blasi, Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa, Natasha B. Halasa, Ivan Hung, Albert Osterhaus, Tina Tan, Juan Pablo Torres, Antonio Vena, Nicola Principi
Summary: Monoclonal antibodies (mABs) are effective and safe proteins produced in the laboratory that target specific epitopes of viruses or bacterial pathogens. In this paper, the characteristics of licensed and advanced-stage developed mABs for prophylaxis and therapy of infectious diseases are discussed. While mABs have shown efficacy in treating infections, their greater effectiveness lies in prevention and early post-exposure treatment. In the absence of vaccines for many infectious diseases, mABs can be an attractive option, especially in emergency situations and when facing multidrug-resistant strains.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhenzhong Shi, Xiyang Li, Lu Wang, Zengchao Sun, Haiwei Zhang, Xiaochen Chen, Qianqian Cui, Huarui Qiao, Zhongyun Lan, Xin Zhang, Xianheng Li, Lingyun Li, Jianfeng Xu, Rui Gong, Chengpeng Fan, Yong Geng
Summary: This study identified high-affinity nanobodies from camels immunized with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and demonstrated their ability to target the virus and inhibit viral escape. These findings contribute to the development of antibodies against future variants of SARS-CoV-2 and are important for combating coronavirus epidemics and pandemics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jianliang Xu, Kai Xu, Seolkyoung Jung, Andrea Conte, Jenna Lieberman, Frauke Muecksch, Julio Cesar Cetrulo Lorenzi, Solji Park, Fabian Schmidt, Zijun Wang, Yaoxing Huang, Yang Luo, Manoj S. Nair, Pengfei Wang, Jonathan E. Schulz, Lino Tessarollo, Tatsiana Bylund, Gwo-Yu Chuang, Adam S. Olia, Tyler Stephens, I-Ting Teng, Yaroslav Tsybovsky, Tongqing Zhou, Vincent Munster, David D. Ho, Theodora Hatziioannou, Paul D. Bieniasz, Michel C. Nussenzweig, Peter D. Kwong, Rafael Casellas
Summary: The study found that camelid nanobodies can effectively circumvent vaccine escape caused by mutations in the novel coronavirus. These nanobodies are able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants through two mechanisms, demonstrating promising potential in preventing COVID-19 mortality when vaccines are compromised.
Article
Immunology
Karoliina Koivisto, Tea Nieminen, Asuncion Mejias, Cristina Capella Gonzalez, Fang Ye, Sara Mertz, Mark Peeples, Octavio Ramilo, Harri Saxen
Summary: Maternal pre-F antibodies are essential for providing immune protection to infants against RSV bronchiolitis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Alejandro Diaz-Diaz, Eleonora Bunsow, Cristina Garcia-Maurino, Melissa Moore-Clingenpeel, Jeffrey Naples, Alexis Juergensen, Sara Mertz, Huanyu Wang, Amy L. Leber, James Gern, Mark W. Hall, Daniel M. Cohen, Octavio Ramilo, Asuncion Mejias
Summary: The study found that detection of nasopharyngeal bacteria, specifically S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae, in infants with RSV infection is associated with increased disease severity and worse clinical outcomes.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Raquel Giacomelli Cao, Lisa Christian, Zhaohui Xu, Lisa Jaramillo, Bennett Smith, Erik A. Karlsson, Stacey Schultz-Cherry, Asuncion Mejias, Octavio Ramilo
Summary: Influenza vaccination in pregnant women led to upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes on day 1 and plasma cell genes on day 7, which were significantly correlated with increased antibody titers. Compared to non-vaccinated women, those vaccinated during the previous influenza season showed more frequent significant correlations between ISGs and antibody titers.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Editorial Material
Pediatrics
Asuncion Mejias, Maria Sanchez-Codez, Octavio Ramilo, Pablo J. Sanchez
JORNAL DE PEDIATRIA
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Sabrina Palacios, Katelyn Krivchenia, Mariah Eisner, Bailey Young, Octavio Ramilo, Asuncion Mejias, Simon Lee, Benjamin T. Kopp
Summary: This study is the largest to date on long-term pulmonary sequelae in pediatric patients after COVID-19. Identified clinical phenotypes and risk factors require further study and treatment.
PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guisselle Arias-Bravo, Gustavo Valderrama, Jaime Inostroza, Cecilia Tapia, Daniela Toro-Ascuy, Octavio Ramilo, Paz Orellana, Nicolas Cifuentes-Munoz, Francisco Zorondo-Rodriguez, Asuncion Mejias, Loreto F. Fuenzalida
Summary: This study evaluated the association between nasopharyngeal bacterial profile and nutritional status in children with viral lower respiratory tract infections. The results showed that overnutrition was associated with a higher presence and load of pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx, as well as increased proinflammatory cytokine concentrations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jeanette Taveras, Cristina Garcia-Maurino, Melissa Moore-Clingenpeel, Zhaohui Xu, Sara Mertz, Fang Ye, Phyl Chen, Shira H. Cohen, Daniel Cohen, Mark E. Peeples, Octavio Ramilo, Asuncion Mejias
Summary: In this study, children with milder RSV infection and those aged >6 months had higher concentrations of mucosal interferons, which may be associated with protection against severe RSV disease. Higher levels of IL6 increased the likelihood of hospitalization in older children, while higher concentrations of IFN-lambda 2/3 had the opposite effect regardless of age. Additionally, higher concentrations of CXCL10 were associated with reduced odds of hospitalization, oxygen administration, PICU admission, and prolonged hospitalization.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Octavio Ramilo, Rosa Rodriguez-Fernandez, Asuncion Mejias
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Yvette N. N. Lowensteyn, Joukje E. E. Willemsen, Natalie I. I. Mazur, Nienke M. M. Scheltema, Nynke C. J. van Haastregt, Amber A. A. ten Buuren, Ichelle van Roessel, Dunja Scheepmaker, Harish Nair, Peter M. M. van de Ven, Louis J. J. Bont
Summary: This study provides the first global case series of children dying with nosocomial RSV infection. Infant-targeted immunization strategies in the future could prevent the majority of nosocomial RSV-related deaths. Although nosocomial RSV deaths are expected to occur at highest rates in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), the reported number of these deaths was low in these countries. Hospital-based surveillance is needed to capture the full burden of nosocomial RSV mortality in LMICs.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Asuncion Mejias, Julia Schuchard, Suchitra Rao, Tellen D. Bennett, Ravi Jhaveri, Deepika Thacker, L. Charles Bailey, Dimitri A. Christakis, Nathan M. Pajor, Hanieh Razzaghi, Christopher B. Forrest, Grace M. Lee
Summary: By using an electronic health record-based algorithm, researchers identified serology-positive children with COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2022. Compared to PCR-positive children, serology-positive children were more likely to be hospitalized, have chronic conditions, and be diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Identifying asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic children who were not tested is crucial for understanding the burden of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Huanyu Wang, Tori Wright, Kathy Everhart, Sophonie J. Oyeniran, Asuncion Mejias, Amy L. Leber
Summary: Beginning in late 2021, there was a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 reinfections in pediatric patients evaluated at our institution. We aimed to characterize the children with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, determine the number of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, and characterize the intervals between two infections in our patient population.
JOURNAL OF THE PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Vitaly Lorman, Suchitra Rao, Ravi Jhaveri, Abigail Case, Asuncion Mejias, Nathan M. Pajor, Payal Patel, Deepika Thacker, Seuli Bose-Brill, Jason Block, Patrick C. Hanley, Priya Prahalad, Yong Chen, Christopher B. Forrest, L. Charles Bailey, Grace M. Lee, Hanieh Razzaghi
Summary: Pediatric long COVID in children is not clearly defined, but this study identified several symptoms and conditions associated with it by comparing diagnosed and undiagnosed children. These findings can be used to develop a precise definition of long COVID in children for future studies.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ravi Jhaveri, Ryan Webb, Hanieh Razzaghi, Julia Schuchard, Asuncion Mejias, Tellen D. Bennett, Pei-Ni Jone, Deepika Thacker, Grant S. Schulert, Colin Rogerson, Jonathan D. Cogen, L. Charles Charles Bailey, Christopher B. Forrest, Grace M. Lee, Suchitra Rao, RECOVER consortium
Summary: Using electronic health record data and primary chart review, this study identified seven children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) who were managed as outpatients across nine pediatric medical centers. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing mild presentations of MIS-C and the possibility of outpatient management.
JOURNAL OF THE PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY
(2023)
Review
Medical Laboratory Technology
David Bernstein, Asuncion Mejias, Barbara Rath, Christopher W. Woods, Jamie Phillips Deeter
Summary: This scoping literature review summarizes the study characteristics of commercially available sample-to-answer RSV tests. The review reveals a lack of literature on studies of RSV tests in specific populations and settings, highlighting the need for further assessments. Molecular-based rapid RSV tests are suggested as first-line use in the current pandemic landscape due to their higher sensitivity and specificity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED LABORATORY MEDICINE
(2023)