Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xuedan He, Shiqi Zhou, Wei-Chiao Huang, Amal Seffouh, Moustafa T. Mabrouk, M. Thomas Morgan, Joaquin Ortega, Scott Abrams, Jonathan F. Lovell
Summary: A new vaccine adjuvant system was developed to induce strong cellular immune responses against multiple tumor cell lines, demonstrating durable immunity. The system showed the importance of stable particle formation for effective immune response induction and could control local and metastatic disease in a therapeutic setting.
Article
Immunology
Xinyu Zhuang, Luer Chen, Songhui Yang, Shengnan Xia, Zhiqiang Xu, Tong Zhang, Boyu Zeng, Tong Yu, Ning Yu, Wei Wang, Huijun Lu, Mingyao Tian, Ningyi Jin
Summary: This study investigates the design strategy of mRNA vaccines against the H5N1 influenza virus. It suggests that incorporating ferritin into the vaccine can enhance the expression of target antigens, and the addition of adjuvants can improve the immune response in mice.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fengyun Shen, Zijian Xiong, Yumin Wu, Rui Peng, Yue Wang, Lele Sun, Chunhai Fan, Zhuang Liu
Summary: Researchers constructed framework nucleic acids (FNAs) with regulated rigidity and size to organize epitopes and investigated their influence on peptide vaccine efficiency. They found that assembling epitopes on rigid tetrahedral FNAs could enhance their immunogenicity. By integrating epitopes from SARS-CoV-2 on preferred tFNAs, a COVID-19 peptide vaccine was developed, inducing high antibody titers and increasing memory B and T cell ratio in mice. This research provides a new idea for developing efficient peptide vaccines.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Paresh C. Shrimali, Sheng Chen, Anirban Das, Rachel Dreher, Matthew K. Howard, Jeremy J. Ryan, Jeremy Buck, Darren Kim, Macy L. Sprunger, Jai S. Rudra, Meredith E. Jackrel
Summary: De novo designed peptides that self-assemble into cross-beta rich fibrillar biomaterials have distinct physicochemical properties from pathological amyloidogenic proteins. Vaccination with plasmids encoding the KFE32-GFP fusion protein can elicit robust immune responses and antigen-specific CD8 + T cell activation.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Manmeet S. Ahluwalia, David A. Reardon, Ajay P. Abad, William T. Curry, Eric T. Wong, Sheila A. Figel, Laszlo L. Mechtler, David M. Peereboom, Alan D. Hutson, Henry G. Withers, Song Liu, Ahmed N. Belal, Jingxin Qiu, Kathleen M. Mogensen, Sanam S. Dharma, Andrew Dhawan, Meaghan T. Birkemeier, Danielle M. Casucci, Michael J. Ciesielski, Robert A. Fenstermaker
Summary: SurVaxM is a peptide vaccine that activates the immune system against glioblastoma cells. The combination of SurVaxM and adjuvant chemotherapy can extend the progression-free survival of newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Hemanth K. Potluri, Tun L. Ng, Michael A. Newton, Douglas G. McNeel
Summary: Antibody responses to off-target cancer-associated proteins may not necessarily indicate antigen spread, especially in vaccine strategies that use GM-CSF as an adjuvant. Evaluating T cell responses to non-target antigens is a preferred approach for detecting immune-mediated antigen spread following immunotherapies.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Shanshan Gou, Shuai Wang, Wenwen Liu, Guanyu Chen, Dongyang Zhang, Jiangfeng Du, Zhongyi Yan, Hongfei Wang, Wenjie Zhai, Xinghua Sui, Yahong Wu, Yuanming Qi, Yanfeng Gao
Summary: CBP-12 has been developed as an adjuvant-free peptide vaccine carrier for cancer immunotherapy, showing enhanced uptake and cross-presentation of antigens, leading to strong CD8(+) T cell responses and antitumor effects even in adjuvant-free conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun-Jun Wu, Guan-Jie Chen, Chen-Yuan Fan, Fan Shen, Yi Yang, Wei Pang, Zhen-Nan Zhao, Hong-Xin Guan, Huan Wu, Ying Lu, Ya-Juan Fu, Qi Chen, Yong-Tang Zheng, Songying Ouyang
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and monkeypox virus has led to the urgent need for broad-spectrum vaccines. Adjuvants based on pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists have the potential to enhance immune responses against conserved antigen epitopes shared among variants. This study describes an adjuvant platform called STINGsome, which can be tailored to different pathogenic antigens by adjusting the IP9 percentage, and has shown efficacy in eliciting immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants and monkeypox virus.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Tetsuya Saito, Yukiya Sako, Fumi Sato-Kaneko, Tadashi Hosoya, Shiyin Yao, Fitzgerald S. Lao, Jonathan Shpigelman, Karen Messer, Minya Pu, Nikunj M. Shukla, Michael Chan, Paul J. Chu, Howard B. Cottam, Tomoko Hayashi, Dennis A. Carson, Maripat Corr
Summary: A potential adjuvant molecule (2D216) was found to enhance TLR4 agonist-mediated immune responses in vitro. In murine vaccination studies, the combination of 2D216 with MPLA acted as a potent co-adjuvant, increasing antigen-specific IgG levels and protecting against lethal influenza virus challenge. The co-adjuvant MPLA/2D216 produced Th1 dominant immune responses and showed excellent safety with minimal local reactogenicity and no systemic inflammatory response.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Yuichi Kato, Tomoki Oyama, Kentaro Inokuma, Christopher J. Vavricka, Mami Matsuda, Ryota Hidese, Katsuya Satoh, Yutaka Oono, Jo-Shu Chang, Tomohisa Hasunuma, Akihiko Kondo
Summary: Kato et al. isolated a mutant Chlamydomonas sp. KOR1 with extensive mutations in the ISA1 gene encoding a starch debranching enzyme, leading to improved biofuel production by accelerating carbohydrate repartitioning into lipid and carotenoid under light/dark conditions. The study identified promising targets for metabolic engineering of enhanced lipid accumulation outdoors, showcasing the impact of disrupting DBE on the reparation process.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui Wei, Ali Movahedi, Jie Yang, Yanyan Zhang, Guoyuan Liu, Sheng Zhu, Chunmei Yu, Yanhong Chen, Fei Zhong, Jian Zhang
Summary: This study identified and analyzed the GAPDH family in poplar, and found that PtGAPC1 plays a crucial role in metabolic regulation. The study highlights the importance of understanding the characteristics and functions of the GAPDH genes in poplar.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Samantha J. Paston, Victoria A. Brentville, Peter Symonds, Lindy G. Durrant
Summary: Vaccination has had a significant impact in preventing infectious diseases, but the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines has been challenging.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Shuaibo Li, Zhigang Yang, Hongyan Tian, Shengjie Ren, Wuxiao Zhang, Aimin Wang
Summary: Understanding the effects of dietary nutrient ratios on crayfish health and growth can help improve aquaculture production. This study found that an optimal carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio promoted growth performance in red swamp crayfish.
AQUACULTURE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Aleksandr A. Gorbunov, Evgeniia P. Sannikova, Irek I. Gubaidullin, Gayane A. Serobyan, Alina Yu Gorbunova, Anna Serkina, Konstantin S. Plokhikh, Roman A. Kamyshinsky, Mikhail F. Vorovitch, Natalia Bulushova, Sergei Kuchin, Dmitry G. Kozlov
Summary: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the successful construction of an effective nanoparticle platform based on a short self-assembling peptide, which presents the target antigen on its surface and induces a significant antibody response. The platform has considerable potential for various applications, including vaccine development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Koji Hosomi, Atsushi Shimoyama, Atsushi Hinenoya, Noritoshi Hatanaka, Takafumi Noguchi, Hirotaka Ebina, Yoki Tojima, Mari Furta, Masuo Kondon, Hiroshi Kiyono, Shinji Yamasaki, Koich Fukase, Jun Kunisawa
Summary: In this study, tag- and endotoxin-free Stx2B-C-CPE were prepared using an E. coli expression system and Triton X-114 phase separation for vaccine formulation. It was found that the removal of endotoxin from the purified antigen reduced the IgG antibody responses, but the use of aluminum and Alcaligenes lipid A adjuvants improved the antibody responses, indicating the suitability of purified Stx2B-C-CPE for vaccine formulation.
FRONTIERS IN BIOSCIENCE-LANDMARK
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stacey Bartlett, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth
EXPERT OPINION ON DRUG DELIVERY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Aloysious Ssemaganda, Ashwini Kumar Giddam, Leanne M. Low, Xue Q. Liu, Mei-Fong Ho, Mehfuz Zaman, Waleed M. Hussein, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth, Danielle I. Stanisic, Michael F. Good
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Harrison Y. R. Madge, Hansa Sharma, Waleed M. Hussein, Zeinab G. Khalil, Robert J. Capon, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Charles C. Dai, Jieru Yang, Waleed M. Hussein, Lili Zhao, Xiumin Wang, Zeinab G. Khalil, Robert J. Capon, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Charles C. Dai, Wenbin Huang, Jieru Yang, Waleed M. Hussein, Jingwen Wang, Zeinab G. Khalil, Robert J. Capon, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
Summary: The study found that both the molecular weight and quantity of PEI can affect the adjuvanting properties of liposomal vaccines. Different molecular weights of PEI in vaccines produced similar immune responses in mice. The stability of PEI liposomes is critical for eliciting the desired immune response in vaccines.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Armira Azuar, Zhuoqing Li, Mohini A. Shibu, Lili Zhao, Yacheng Luo, Ahmed O. Shalash, Zeinab G. Khalil, Robert J. Capon, Waleed M. Hussein, Istvan Toth, Mariusz Skwarczynski
Summary: The study demonstrates the potential of self-adjuvanting poly(hydrophobic amino acids) as a delivery system for peptide-based vaccines against Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Conjugates with a linear arrangement of J8-PADRE and leucine were found to induce equally effective or even better immune responses compared to commercial adjuvants. The developed adjuvant-free vaccine based on single molecule successfully elicited antibodies capable of killing GAS bacteria.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Farjana Khatun, Charles C. Dai, Tania Rivera-Hernandez, Waleed M. Hussein, Zeinab G. Khalil, Robert J. Capon, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
Summary: This study evaluated the structure-immunogenicity relationship of carbohydrate moieties of a single repeating unit of group A carbohydrate on the cell wall of group A Streptococcus using a self-adjuvanted lipid-core peptide instead of a carrier protein. The construct with higher rhamnose moieties was found to induce enhanced immunogenic activity in mice, with GlcNAc moiety not essential for the immunogenic GAC mimicked epitope. The trirhamnosyl-lipopeptide also showed high opsonic activity against different clinical isolates of GAS, comparable to a subunit peptide vaccine.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Harrison Y. R. Madge, Wenbin Huang, Lachlan Gilmartin, Berta Rigau-Planella, Waleed M. Hussein, Zeinab G. Khalil, Prashamsa Koirala, Viviene S. Santiago, Robert J. Capon, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
Summary: This study identified a cyclic decapeptide that significantly enhances the adjuvant activity of several lipid-antigen mixtures, and three synthetic vaccine components were synthesized, including the cyclic carrier decapeptide. It was found that the presence of the cyclic peptide is necessary for inducing a strong, balanced Th1/Th2 immune response, compared to other mixtures without the cyclic peptide.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Rachel J. J. Stephenson, Istvan Toth
Summary: Cocaine is a widely used illegal drug that has significant medical and social consequences. The lack of effective pharmacological treatments has led to the development of anti-cocaine vaccines. Despite years of research, no approved pharmacological treatments exist to help individuals overcome cocaine addiction or prevent relapse.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Frazer Sinclair, Anjuman A. Begum, Charles C. Dai, Istvan Toth, Peter M. Moyle
Summary: The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system is a groundbreaking technology that has revolutionized genome editing for therapeutic, diagnostic, and precision medicine applications. The safe and efficient delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been a critical challenge. Viral vectors have shown promise, but face limitations for clinical applications. Nonviral delivery vectors, such as lipid, polymer, peptides, and inorganic nanoparticle-based systems, have emerged as viable alternatives. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9, current delivery strategies, approaches for reducing off-target editing, and future directions for clinical trials.
DRUG DELIVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Harrison Y. R. Madge, Suzy Alexander, Armira Azuar, Jiahui Zhang, Prashamsa Koirala, Thomas H. Burne, Istvan Toth, Rachel J. Stephenson
Summary: Researchers have developed a peptide-based anti-cocaine vaccine that can induce immune responses in mice, providing a platform for the development of effective anti-drug vaccines.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Adel Szerlauth, Arpad Varga, Tamara Madacsy, Daniel Sebok, Sahra Bashiri, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth, Jozsef Maleth, Istvan Szilagyi
Summary: Incorporation of antioxidant enzymes into nanostructures provides a highly efficient and robust biocatalytic system for scavenging reactive oxygen species. The immobilized enzymes effectively reduce intracellular oxidative stress and prevent DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide. These findings are important for designing complex nanostructures with multienzymatic antioxidant activities.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Reshma Jayprakash Nevagi, Wei Dai, Zeinab Khalil, Waleed Hussein, Robert Capon, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth
ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2019)
Review
Immunology
Aloysious Ssemaganda, Ashwini Kumar Giddam, Mehfuz Zaman, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth, Danielle I. Stanisic, Michael F. Good
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2019)