Article
Immunology
Wen-Chun Liu, Raffael Nachbagauer, Daniel Stadlbauer, Shirin Strohmeier, Alicia Solorzano, Francesco Berlanda-Scorza, Bruce L. Innis, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Peter Palese, Florian Krammer, Randy A. Albrecht
Summary: The study demonstrated that sequential immunization with cHA-based vaccines induced durable antibody responses and provided better protection against the 2009 influenza A virus HA conserved stalk domain in ferrets.
Article
Virology
Hae-Ji Kang, Ki-Back Chu, Keon-Woong Yoon, Gi-Deok Eom, Jie Mao, Min-Ju Kim, Su-Hwa Lee, Eun-Kyung Moon, Fu-Shi Quan
Summary: Research suggests that avian influenza VLP vaccines expressing multiple neuraminidases can provide both homologous and heterosubtypic protection against different subtypes, offering a promising approach for developing a universal influenza A vaccine against avian and human influenza virus infections.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Eduard Puente-Massaguer, Annika Beyer, Madhumathi Loganathan, Iden Sapse, Juan Manuel Carreno, Goran Bajic, Weina Sun, Peter Palese, Florian Krammer
Summary: Seasonal influenza viruses cause 1 billion infections per year, with millions of severe cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Current influenza vaccines have varying effectiveness and target the HA and NA surface glycoproteins. This study developed a bioprocess to manufacture inactivated split cHA and mHA vaccines and a method to quantify HA with a prefusion stalk. The process demonstrated high yield and low levels of impurities, providing a basis for pre-clinical and future clinical trials.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Christopher L. D. McMillan, Paul R. Young, Daniel Watterson, Keith J. Chappell
Summary: Current influenza virus vaccines mainly induce antibodies against the highly variable head domain of the hemagglutinin protein, but these antibodies are often strain-specific, resulting in limited cross-protection. Therefore, the annual update of vaccine formulations to counteract the challenge of influenza virus evolution is crucial.
Article
Immunology
Terry Ng, Valeria Flores-Malavet, Mishfak A. M. Mansoor, Andrea C. Arvelo, Kunal Dhume, Emily Prokop, K. Kai McKinstry, Tara M. Strutt
Summary: This study investigates the influence of pre-existing immunity on the generation and protective potential of heterosubtypic T cell responses against influenza A virus (IAV). The results show that higher levels of pre-existing immune serum reduce the nucleoprotein-specific T cell responses, which can prevent severe symptoms in infected recipients. Additionally, offspring of primed mothers who receive high titers of specific antibodies also fail to generate protective T cell immunity.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
SangJoon Lee, Jin-Hyeob Ryu
Summary: The innate immune system serves as the first line of defense against influenza viruses, and mRNA vaccines are being explored as a promising alternative to traditional approaches due to their safety, cost-effectiveness, rapid development capabilities, and high efficacy. This review provides insights into the innate immune response to mRNA vaccination, as well as discusses the future directions and challenges in advancing this promising therapeutic approach.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Virology
Fatai S. Oladunni, Saheed Oluwasina Oseni, Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Thomas M. Chambers
Summary: Equine influenza virus (EIV) is a constantly evolving viral pathogen responsible for yearly outbreaks of respiratory disease in horses. The virus can evade host protective immunity, making it a successful pathogen. Despite vaccination, the protective effects decay over time, allowing for continued transmission.
Article
Immunology
James D. Allen, Ted M. Ross
Summary: The study found that broadly-reactive influenza virus vaccine antigens targeting A(H3N2) influenza viruses are more effective at producing cross-reactive antibodies than traditional vaccines, with higher neutralizing capabilities against historical, contemporary, and future drifted influenza strains.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Rina Fajri Nuwarda, Abdulsalam Abdullah Alharbi, Veysel Kayser
Summary: Influenza is a major public health concern, and vaccines are an effective method for prevention and control. New vaccine platforms and advancements in vaccine manufacturing processes are being explored to improve effectiveness and stability.
Article
Immunology
Jeeva Subbiah, Judy Oh, Ki-Hye Kim, Chong-Hyun Shin, Bo Ryoung Park, Noopur Bhatnagar, Baik-Lin Seong, Bao-Zhong Wang, Sang-Moo Kang
Summary: A new chimeric protein vaccine called M2e-H3 stalk has been developed to overcome the low efficacy of monomeric domain-based universal vaccines. The vaccine was found to be effective in inducing immune responses and providing protection against various subtypes of influenza viruses in mice, making it a potential candidate for a universal influenza A virus vaccine for both young and aged populations.
Article
Immunology
Teresa Aydillo, Ana S. Gonzalez-Reiche, Daniel Stadlbauer, Mary Anne Amper, Venugopalan D. Nair, Chiara Mariottini, Stuart C. Sealfon, Harm van Bakel, Peter Palese, Florian Krammer, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre
Summary: In this study, a phase 1 clinical trial was conducted to test the immunogenicity of a chimeric group 1 HA universal influenza virus vaccine. The results showed that vaccination with adjuvanted-inactivated vaccines induced an upregulation of genes involved in innate immune responses and type I interferon signaling. This study provides valuable insights into immune responses and gene expression regulation induced by the vaccine.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jingxuan Qiu, Xinxin Tian, Yaxing Liu, Tianyu Lu, Hailong Wang, Zhuochen Shi, Sihao Lu, Dongpo Xu, Tianyi Qiu
Summary: The study introduced a series of structure-based universal models Univ-Flu for HA antigenicity prediction, which showed high prediction performance on different IAV subtypes. The designed descriptors accurately characterized universal antigenicity, providing in-silico reference for vaccine recommendation.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David F. Zeigler, Emily Gage, Christopher H. Clegg
Summary: The study introduced a nanoparticle-based vaccine platform for building broadly protective influenza vaccines targeting conserved epitopes, providing long-lasting immunity. Novel epitopes with higher protective potential were identified using protein sequence and structural information in combination, leading to improved antibody responses.
Review
Immunology
Mark B. Carascal, Rance Derrick N. Pavon, Windell L. Rivera
Summary: This review discusses the progress and advances in the development of recombinant influenza vaccines (RIVs) in the context of heterosubtypic immunity induction for universal vaccine production. Vaccination is considered the most effective strategy against the influenza virus, and RIVs have shown promising potential as universal vaccine candidates.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yonghong Liu, Shirin Strohmeier, Irene Gonzalez-Dominguez, Jessica Tan, Viviana Simon, Florian Krammer, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Peter Palese, Weina Sun
Summary: By generating and sequentially vaccinating mice with inactivated influenza B viruses displaying mosaic HAs, researchers have successfully induced long-lasting and cross-protective antibody responses. These findings represent a significant step towards the development of a universal influenza B virus vaccine.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jennifer Cable, Siddharth Balachandran, Lisa P. Daley-Bauer, Arjun Rustagi, Ferrin Antony, Justin J. Frere, Jamie Strampe, Katherine Kedzierska, Judy L. Cannon, Maureen A. McGargill, Daniela Weiskopf, Robert C. Mettelman, Julia Niessl, Paul G. Thomas, Bryan Briney, Sophie A. Valkenburg, Jesse D. Bloom, Pamela J. Bjorkman, Sho Iketani, C. Garrett Rappazzo, Chelsea M. Crooks, Kali F. Crofts, Stefan Pohlmann, Florian Krammer, Andrea J. Sant, Gary J. Nabel, Stacey Schultz-Cherry
Summary: Millions of people are infected by viruses each year, which pose ongoing threats to global public health. To develop more effective tools against viruses, a comprehensive understanding of the virus itself and our immune system's response to infection is necessary. The Keystone symposium Viral Immunity: Basic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications, held from June 29 to July 2, 2022, brought together researchers to discuss these topics, and this report provides concise summaries from several presenters at the symposium.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert Haupt, Lauren Baracco, Erin M. Harberts, Madhumathi Loganathan, Lucas J. Kerstetter, Florian Krammer, Lynda Coughlan, Robert K. Ernst, Matthew B. Frieman
Summary: The BECC438 and BECC470 adjuvants formulated with an influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein vaccine provide enhanced protection against influenza virus in adult mouse respiratory models. Immunization with HA + BECC adjuvants also broadens the epitopes targeted on HA and increases antibody titers against the conserved HA stalk domain. Furthermore, BECC470 combined with an influenza virus HA protein antigen achieves complete protection in a aged mouse model.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Steven J. Frey, Juan Manuel Carreno, Dominika Bielak, Ammar Arsiwala, Clara G. Altomare, Chad Varner, Tania Rosen-Cheriyan, Goran Bajic, Florian Krammer, Ravi S. Kane
Summary: Despite licensed vaccines being available, influenza still leads to significant illness and death globally. Current vaccines mainly target the head domain of the viral protein hemagglutinin (HA), but influenza viruses can easily evade this response by acquiring mutations in the head domain. This study demonstrates that nanoparticles presenting HA in an inverted orientation generate higher levels of antibodies and a broader immune response against the conserved stalk domain, providing better protection against the virus. By controlling antigen orientation, it may be possible to design nanovaccines that offer broad protection against influenza and other potential pandemic pathogens.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ilana Katz Sand, Sacha Gnjatic, Florian Krammer, Kevin Tuballes, Juan Manuel Carreno, Sammita Satyanarayan, Susan Filomena, Erin Staker, Johnstone Tcheou, Aaron Miller, Michelle Fabian, Neha Safi, Jamie Nichols, Jasmin Patel, Stephen Krieger, Stephanie Tankou, Sam Horng, Sylvia Klineova, Erin Beck, Miriam Merad, Fred Lublin
Summary: This study evaluates humoral and cellular immune responses to a third COVID-19 vaccine dose in patients on anti-CD20 therapy and S1PR modulators, including Omicron-specific assays. The results show that participants on anti-CD20 therapy have lower levels of neutralizing antibodies, particularly against the BA.1 variant, but their cellular immune responses are not significantly different from healthy controls. Participants on S1PR modulator therapy have significantly reduced levels of neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses. These findings have clinical implications and require further study.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND RELATED DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Gagandeep Singh, Anass Abbad, Johnstone Tcheou, Demodara Rao Mendu, Adolfo Firpo-Betancourt, Charles Gleason, Komal Srivastava, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Viviana Simon, Florian Krammer, Juan Manuel Carreno
Summary: This study investigates the impact of exposures to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine antigens on the antibody response. The results show that binding and avidity of antibodies increase with the number of exposures to infection and/or vaccination. However, cross-reactivity of the antibody response after BA.1 breakthroughs is affected by the number of prior exposures.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Fatima Amanat, Jordan Clark, Juan Manuel Carreno, Shirin Strohmeier, Temima Yellin, Philip S. Meade, Disha Bhavsar, Hiromi Muramatsu, Weina Sun, Lynda Coughlan, Norbert Pardi, Florian Krammer
Summary: Seasonal coronaviruses have been circulating widely in the human population and it has been hypothesized that immunity to these viruses may provide partial protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. COVID-19 vaccination has also been shown to boost immunity against seasonal betacoronaviruses.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Paulina Kaplonek, Deniz Cizmeci, Gaurav Kwatra, Alane Izu, Jessica Shih-Lu Lee, Harry L. Bertera, Stephanie Fischinger, Colin Mann, Fatima Amanat, Wenjun Wang, Anthonet L. Koen, Lee Fairlie, Clare L. Cutland, Khatija Ahmed, Keertan Dheda, Shaun L. Barnabas, Qasim Ebrahim Bhorat, Carmen Briner, Florian Krammer, Erica Ollman Saphire, Sarah C. Gilbert, Teresa Lambe, Andrew J. Pollard, Marta Nunes, Manfred Wuhrer, Douglas A. Lauffenburger, Shabir A. Madhi, Galit Alter
Summary: Despite the success of COVID-19 vaccines, breakthrough infections can occur due to SARS-CoV-2 variants. The immune mediators of protection in humans are still unknown. A study on ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine recipients in South Africa found different Fc-receptor-binding antibodies among different groups. Individuals who resisted COVID-19 exclusively had Fc gamma R3B-binding antibodies, while those who experienced breakthrough had enhanced IgA and IgG3 with enriched Fc gamma R2B binding. Antibodies unable to bind to Fc gamma R3B led to immune complex clearance and inflammation. The differential antibody binding to Fc gamma R3B was associated with Fc-glycosylation differences in SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies.
Article
Immunology
Wuji Zhang, Lukasz Kedzierski, Brendon Y. Chua, Mark Mayo, Claire Lonzi, Vanessa Rigas, Bianca F. Middleton, Hayley A. McQuilten, Louise C. Rowntree, Lilith F. Allen, Ruth A. Purcell, Hyon-Xhi Tan, Jan Petersen, Priyanka Chaurasia, Francesca Mordant, Mikhail V. Pogorelyy, Anastasia A. Minervina, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Griffith B. Perkins, Eva Zhang, Stephanie Gras, E. Bridie Clemens, Jennifer A. Juno, Jennifer Audsley, David S. Khoury, Natasha E. Holmes, Irani Thevarajan, Kanta Subbarao, Florian Krammer, Allen C. Cheng, Miles P. Davenport, Branka Grubor-Bauk, P. Toby Coates, Britt Christensen, Paul G. Thomas, Adam K. Wheatley, Stephen J. Kent, Jamie Rossjohn, Amy W. Chung, John Boffa, Adrian Miller, Sarah Lynar, Jane Nelson, Thi H. O. Nguyen, Jane Davies, Katherine Kedzierska
Summary: Kedzierska et al. found that there is an association between low production of receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies after mRNA vaccination and altered glycosylation of IgG before vaccination in people with comorbidities. This condition disproportionately affects Australia's First Nations peoples due to their high burden of comorbidities. The study also showed that Indigenous people, including Australian First Nations peoples, have effective immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination.
Article
Immunology
Sadaf Aslam, Madhusudan Rajendran, Divya Kriti, Andrew Kurland, Jeffrey Johnson, Harm van Bakel, Florian Krammer, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Juan Ayllon
Summary: To improve the production yield of seasonal influenza vaccines, we have identified optimal vaccine seed virus backbones for influenza B virus through research and evaluation in embryonated eggs. This study includes 71 strains of influenza B virus from 1940 to the present, representing the known temporal and genetic variability. By assessing the growth profiles and effectiveness of these strains, we selected three strains with the best performance as vaccine seed virus backbones to increase the production yield of influenza B virus seasonal vaccines.
Article
Immunology
Samuel Ponce-de-Leon, Martha Torres, Luis Enrique Soto-Ramirez, Juan Jose Calva, Patricio Santillan-Doherty, Dora Eugenia Carranza-Salazar, Juan Manuel Carreno, Claudia Carranza, Esmeralda Juarez, Laura E. Carreto-Binaghi, Luis Ramirez-Martinez, Georgina Paz de la Rosa, Rosalia Vigueras-Moreno, Alejandro Ortiz-Stern, Yolanda Lopez-Vidal, Alejandro E. Macias, Jesus Torres-Flores, Oscar Rojas-Martinez, Alejandro Suarez-Martinez, Gustavo Peralta-Sanchez, Hisaaki Kawabata, Irene Gonzalez-Dominguez, Jose Luis Martinez-Guevara, Weina Sun, David Sarfati-Mizrahi, Ernesto Soto-Priante, Hector Elias Chagoya-Cortes, Constantino Lopez-Macias, Felipa Castro-Peralta, Peter Palese, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Florian Krammer, Bernardo Lozano-Dubernard
Summary: A vaccine candidate based on a live recombinant Newcastle disease virus (NDV) expressing a stable spike protein has been evaluated. The vaccine candidate shows potential for low-cost production and can be administered intranasally to induce mucosal immunity. In a phase I clinical trial in Mexico, the vaccine was found to be safe and immunogenic at higher doses given either intramuscularly or intranasally followed by intramuscular administration.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Eduard Puente-Massaguer, Annika Beyer, Madhumathi Loganathan, Iden Sapse, Juan Manuel Carreno, Goran Bajic, Weina Sun, Peter Palese, Florian Krammer
Summary: Seasonal influenza viruses cause 1 billion infections per year, with millions of severe cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Current influenza vaccines have varying effectiveness and target the HA and NA surface glycoproteins. This study developed a bioprocess to manufacture inactivated split cHA and mHA vaccines and a method to quantify HA with a prefusion stalk. The process demonstrated high yield and low levels of impurities, providing a basis for pre-clinical and future clinical trials.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Conor N. Gruber, Roosheel S. Patel, Rebecca Trachtman, Lauren Lepow, Fatima Amanat, Florian Krammer, Karen M. Wilson, Kenan Onel, Daniel Geanon, Kevin Tuballes, Manishkumar Patel, Konstantinos Mouskas, Timothy O'Donnell, Elliot Merritt, Nicole W. Simons, Vanessa Barcessat, Diane M. Del Valle, Samantha Udondem, Gurpawan Kang, Charuta Agashe, Neha Karekar, Joanna Grabowska, Kai Nie, Jessica Le Berichel, Hui Xie, Noam Beckmann, Sandeep Gangadharan, George Ofori-Amanfo, Uri Laserson, Adeeb Rahman, Seunghee Kim-Schulze, Alexander W. Charney, Sacha Gnjatic, Bruce D. Gelb, Miriam Merad, Dusan Bogunovic
Article
Cell Biology
Wuji Zhang, E. Bridie Clemens, Lukasz Kedzierski, Brendon Y. Chua, Mark Mayo, Claire Lonzi, Alexandra Hinchcliff, Vanessa Rigas, Bianca F. Middleton, Paula Binks, Louise C. Rowntree, Lilith F. Allen, Hyon-Xhi Tan, Jan Petersen, Priyanka Chaurasia, Florian Krammer, Adam K. Wheatley, Stephen J. Kent, Jamie Rossjohn, Adrian Miller, Sarah Lynar, Jane Nelson, Thi H. O. Nguyen, Jane Davies, Katherine Kedzierska
Summary: This study evaluated immune responses in Australian Indigenous peoples with COVID-19. The findings demonstrated enhanced cytokine levels, antibody responses, and memory T cell responses in Australian Indigenous peoples during the recovery phase. Additionally, the immune response patterns resembled those of non-Indigenous COVID-19 hospitalized patients.
IMMUNOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Hallie Cohn, Nathaniel Bloom, Gianna Y. Cai, Jordan J. Clark, Alison Tarke, Maria C. Bermudez-Gonzalez, Deena R. Altman, Luz Amarilis Lugo, Francisco Pereira Lobo, Susanna Marquez, Jin-Qiu Chen, Wenlin Ren, Lili Qin, Jennifer L. Yates, Danielle T. Hunt, William T. Lee, Shane Crotty, Florian Krammer, Alba Grifoni, Alessandro Sette, Viviana Simon, Camila H. Coelho
Summary: This study compares human immune responses to JYNNEOS vaccination and monkeypox virus infection. The results show that infection with monkeypox virus elicits robust B-cell and T-cell responses, while JYNNEOS vaccination mainly induces T-cell responses.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eduard Puente-Massaguer, Kirill Vasilev, Annika Beyer, Madhumathi Loganathan, Benjamin Francis, Michael J. Scherm, Guha Asthagiri Arunkumar, Irene Gonzalez-Dominguez, Xueyong Zhu, Ian A. Wilson, Lynda Coughlan, Weina Sun, Peter Palese, Florian Krammer
Summary: In this study, it was shown that immunization with group 2 cHA split vaccines in combination with the CpG 1018 adjuvant elicited broadly cross-reactive antibodies against various influenza A viruses, providing immune protection.
