scholarly journals Therapeutic vaccine for chronic diseases after the COVID-19 Era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Nakagami ◽  
Hiroki Hayashi ◽  
Munehisa Shimamura ◽  
Hiromi Rakugi ◽  
Ryuichi Morishita
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Cytotoxic T Cells ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccine ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccines ◽  
Novel Concept

AbstractThere is currently a respiratory disease outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). After rapid development, RNA vaccines and adenoviral vector vaccines were approved within a year, which has demonstrated the strong impact of preventing infectious diseases using gene therapy technology. Furthermore, intensive immunological analysis has been performed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of these vaccines, potentially allowing for rapid progress in vaccine technology. After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era, the novel vaccine technology developed will expand to other vaccines. We have been developing vaccines for chronic diseases, such as hypertension, for >10 years. Regarding the development of vaccines against self-antigens (i.e., angiotensin II), the vaccine should efficiently induce a blocking antibody response against the self-antigen without activating cytotoxic T cells. Therefore, the epitope vaccine approach has been proposed to induce antibody production in response to a combination of a B cell epitope and exogenous T cell epitopes through major histocompatibility complex molecules. When these vaccines are established as therapeutic options for hypertension, their administration regimen, which might be a few times per year, will replace daily medication use. Thus, therapeutic vaccines for hypertension may be a novel option to control the progression of cerebrovascular diseases. Hopefully, the accumulation of immunological findings and vaccine technology advances due to COVID-19 will provide a novel concept for vaccines for chronic diseases.

An Immunomodulatory Therapeutic Vaccine Targeting Oligomeric Amyloid-β

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1639-1653
Author(s):  
Ge Song ◽  
Haiqiang Yang ◽  
Ning Shen ◽  
Phillip Pham ◽  
Breanna Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccine ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Epitope Prediction ◽  
Autoimmune Response ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Cytokine Expression Profile ◽  
Clinical Benefits

Background: Aging is considered the most important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent research supports the theory that immunotherapy targeting the “oligomeric” forms of amyloid-β (Aβ) may halt the progression of AD. However, previous clinical trial of the vaccine against Aβ, called AN1792, was suspended due to cases of meningoencephalitis in patients. Objective: To develop a peptide sensitized dendritic cells (DCs) vaccine that would target oligomer Aβ and prevent an autoimmune response. Methods: Double transgenic APPswe/PS1ΔE9 (Tg) and C57BL/6J control mice were used in this study. Cytokine expression profile detection, characterization of antisera, brain GSK-3β, LC3 expression, and spatial working memory testing before and post-vaccination were obtained. Results: Epitope prediction indicated that E22W42 could generate 13 new T cell epitopes which can strengthen immunity in aged subjects and silence several T cell epitopes of the wild type Aβ. The silenced T cell epitope could help avoid the autoimmune response that was seen in some patients of the AN-1792 vaccine. The E22W42 not only helped sensitize bone marrow-derived DCs for the development of an oligomeric Aβ-specific antibody, but also delayed memory impairment in the APP/PS1 mouse model. Most importantly, this E22W42 peptide will not alter the DC’s natural immunomodulatory properties. Conclusion: The E22W42 vaccine is possibly safer for patients with impaired immune systems. Since there is increasing evidence that oligomeric form of Aβ are the toxic species to neurons, the E22W42 antibody’s specificity for these “oligomeric” Aβ species could provide the opportunity to produce some clinical benefits in AD subjects.

scholarly journals Development of Therapeutic Vaccines for Ovarian Cancer

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 657
Author(s):  
Stephanie Chow ◽  
Jonathan S. Berek ◽  
Oliver Dorigo
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Cytotoxic T Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccine ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Blockade ◽  
Ovarian Cancer Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccines ◽  
Effector Cells ◽  
Clinical Benefits

Ovarian cancer remains the deadliest of all gynecologic malignancies. Our expanding knowledge of ovarian cancer immunology has allowed the development of therapies that generate systemic anti-tumor immune responses. Current immunotherapeutic strategies include immune checkpoint blockade, cellular therapies, and cancer vaccines. Vaccine-based therapies are designed to induce both adaptive and innate immune responses directed against ovarian cancer associated antigens. Tumor-specific effector cells, in particular cytotoxic T cells, are activated to recognize and eliminate ovarian cancer cells. Vaccines for ovarian cancer have been studied in various clinical trials over the last three decades. Despite evidence of vaccine-induced humoral and cellular immune responses, the majority of vaccines have not shown significant anti-tumor efficacy. Recently, improved vaccine development using dendritic cells or synthetic platforms for antigen presentation have shown promising clinical benefits in patients with ovarian cancer. In this review, we provide an overview of therapeutic vaccine development in ovarian cancer, discuss proposed mechanisms of action, and summarize the current clinical experience.

scholarly journals Immunodominance in Mouse and Human CD4+ T-Cell Responses Specific for the Bordetella pertussis Virulence Factor P.69 Pertactin

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 896-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Stenger ◽  
Martien C. M. Poelen ◽  
Ed E. Moret ◽  
Betsy Kuipers ◽  
Sven C. M. Bruijns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Bordetella Pertussis ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Cell Immunity ◽  
Hla Dq ◽  
Natural Variants ◽  
Acellular Vaccines

ABSTRACT P.69 pertactin (P.69 Prn), an adhesion molecule from the causative agent of pertussis, Bordetella pertussis, is present in cellular and most acellular vaccines that are currently used worldwide. Although both humoral immunity and cellular immunity directed against P.69 Prn have been implicated in protective immune mechanisms, the identities of CD4+ T-cell epitopes on the P.69 Prn protein remain unknown. Here, a single I-Ad-restricted B. pertussis conserved CD4+ T-cell epitope at the N terminus of P.69 Prn was identified by using a BALB/c T-cell hybridoma. The epitope appeared immunodominant among four other minor strain-conserved P.69 Prn epitopes recognized after vaccination and B. pertussis infection, and it was capable of evoking a Th1/Th17-type cytokine response. B. pertussis P.69 Prn immune splenocytes did not cross-react with natural variants of the epitope as present in Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Finally, it was found that the immunodominant P.69 Prn epitope is broadly recognized in the human population by CD4+ T cells in an HLA-DQ-restricted manner. During B. pertussis infection, the epitope was associated with a Th1-type CD4+ T-cell response. Hence, this novel P.69 Prn epitope is involved in CD4+ T-cell immunity after B. pertussis vaccination and infection in mice and, more importantly, in humans. Thus, it may provide a useful tool for the evaluation of the type, magnitude, and maintenance of B. pertussis-specific CD4+ T-cell mechanisms in preclinical and clinical vaccine studies.

scholarly journals Vaccination With a FAT1-Derived B Cell Epitope Combined With Tumor-Specific B and T Cell Epitopes Elicits Additive Protection in Cancer Mouse Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Grandi ◽  
Laura Fantappiè ◽  
Carmela Irene ◽  
Silvia Valensin ◽  
Michele Tomasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Mouse Models ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
B Cell Epitope

scholarly journals T Cell Specificity: A Great Challenge in Chagas Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fátima Ferragut ◽  
Gonzalo R. Acevedo ◽  
Karina A. Gómez
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
T Cell Memory ◽  
Cell Immune Response ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccines ◽  
Cell Specificity ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Available Information

The CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immune response against T. cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas disease, are relevant for both parasite control and disease pathogenesis. Several studies have been focused on their phenotype and functionally, but only a few have drilled down to identify the parasite proteins that are processed and presented to these cells, especially to CD4+ T lymphocytes. Although approximately 10,000 proteins are encoded per haploid T. cruzi genome, fewer than 200 T cell epitopes from 49 T. cruzi proteins have been identified so far. In this context, a detailed knowledge of the specific targets of T cell memory response emerges as a prime tool for the conceptualization and development of prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines, an approach with great potential to prevent and treat this chronic disease. Here, we review the available information about this topic in a comprehensive manner and discuss the future challenges in the field.

scholarly journals Mining the capacity of human-associated microorganisms to trigger rheumatoid arthritis—A systematic immunoinformatics analysis of T cell epitopes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253918
Author(s):  
Jelena Repac ◽  
Marija Mandić ◽  
Tanja Lunić ◽  
Bojan Božić ◽  
Biljana Božić Nedeljković
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
T Cell ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Molecular Mimicry ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
Homology Search ◽  
T Cell Epitope ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Painful Condition

Autoimmune diseases, often triggered by infection, affect ~5% of the worldwide population. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)–a painful condition characterized by the chronic inflammation of joints—comprises up to 20% of known autoimmune pathologies, with the tendency of increasing prevalence. Molecular mimicry is recognized as the leading mechanism underlying infection-mediated autoimmunity, which assumes sequence similarity between microbial and self-peptides driving the activation of autoreactive lymphocytes. T lymphocytes are leading immune cells in the RA-development. Therefore, deeper understanding of the capacity of microorganisms (both pathogens and commensals) to trigger autoreactive T cells is needed, calling for more systematic approaches. In the present study, we address this problem through a comprehensive immunoinformatics analysis of experimentally determined RA-related T cell epitopes against the proteomes of Bacteria, Fungi, and Viruses, to identify the scope of organisms providing homologous antigenic peptide determinants. By this, initial homology screening was complemented with de novo T cell epitope prediction and another round of homology search, to enable: i) the confirmation of homologous microbial peptides as T cell epitopes based on the predicted binding affinity to RA-related HLA polymorphisms; ii) sequence similarity inference for top de novo T cell epitope predictions to the RA-related autoantigens to reveal the robustness of RA-triggering capacity for identified (micro/myco)organisms. Our study reveals a much larger repertoire of candidate RA-triggering organisms, than previously recognized, providing insights into the underestimated role of Fungi in autoimmunity and the possibility of a more direct involvement of bacterial commensals in RA-pathology. Finally, our study pinpoints Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP as the most potent (most likely mimicked) RA-related autoantigen, opening an avenue for identifying the most potent autoantigens in a variety of different autoimmune pathologies, with possible implications in the design of next-generation therapeutics aiming to induce self-tolerance by affecting highly reactive autoantigens.

scholarly journals HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG DISPENSARY OBSERVATION PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS IN BULGARIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 943-947
Author(s):  
Teodora Dimcheva ◽  
Boryana Levterova ◽  
Desislava Bakova ◽  
Nonka Mateva
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Introduction: The prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide acquires epidemic dimensions. In Europe, five nosological groups (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and mental disabilities) constitute 77% of NCDs and cause about 86% of deaths in the region.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the quality of life in patients with chronic non-communicable diseases under dispensary observation.Methods: The pilot cross-sectional study was performed among adult with chronic diseases in primary care practices in the Plovdiv district (the second largest in Bulgaria) from May to June 2013.Results: A total of 200 adults with chronic diseases participated in the study. The mean age was 55.6 years (range 25–95, standard deviation (SD) 16.9). The most common chronic diseases in our study were cardiovascular 51% (ischemic heart disease, hypertension, etc.), followed by endocrinology diseases (23%). There was statistically significant differences in the assessments of "general health" in different groups of participants by gender (χ2 = 16.65, P <0.002), age (χ2 = 12.57, P <0.05) and social status (χ2 = 28.54, P <0.0001).Conclusion: The subjective assessment of health is a factor that has a strong impact on the quality of life of patients and is an important component in evaluating the effectiveness of provided health care for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases.

scholarly journals A recombinant selective drug-resistant M. bovis BCG enhances the bactericidal activity of a second-line tuberculosis regimen

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gift Chiwala ◽  
Zhiyong Liu ◽  
Julius N. Mugweru ◽  
Bangxing Wang ◽  
Shahzad Akbar Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemotherapy Regimen ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccine ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Second Line ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccines ◽  
Resistant Tuberculosis ◽  
Colony Forming Units ◽  
Pathogen Clearance ◽  
Deficient Mice ◽  
Recombinant Bcg

AbstractDrug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) results from infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains resistant to at least rifampin or isoniazid. To improve the treatment outcome in DR-TB, therapeutic vaccines are considered an ideal choice as they can enhance pathogen clearance and minimize disease sequelae. To date, there is no therapeutic vaccine reported to be effective when combined with a chemotherapy regimen against DR-TB. The only available TB vaccine, the M. bovis BCG (BCG) is susceptible to several anti-TB drugs hence not a perfect option for therapeutic vaccination. Herein, we developed a recombinant BCG (RdrBCG) overexpressing Ag85B and Rv2628 with resistance to selected anti-TB drugs. When administered three times adjunct to a second-line anti-TB regimen in a classical murine model of DR-TB, the RdrBCG lowered lung M. tuberculosis colony-forming units by 1 log10. Furthermore, vaccination with the RdrBCG adjunct to TB chemotherapy minimized lung tissue pathology in mice. Most importantly, the RdrBCG maintained the exogenously inserted genes and showed almost the same virulence as its parent BCG Tice strain in severe combined immune-deficient mice. All these suggested that the RdrBCG was stable, safe and effective. Hence, the “recombinant” plus “drug-resistant” BCG strategy could be a useful concept for developing therapeutic vaccines against DR-TB.

scholarly journals Computational Eurotransplant kidney allocation simulations demonstrate the feasibility and benefit of T-cell epitope matching

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. e1009248
Author(s):  
Matthias Niemann ◽  
Nils Lachmann ◽  
Kirsten Geneugelijk ◽  
Eric Spierings
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
Haplotype Frequency ◽  
Deceased Donor ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Kidney Allocation ◽  
Virtual Population ◽  
Considerable Impact ◽  
The Impact

The EuroTransplant Kidney Allocation System (ETKAS) aims at allocating organs to patients on the waiting list fairly whilst optimizing HLA match grades. ETKAS currently considers the number of HLA-A, -B, -DR mismatches. Evidently, epitope matching is biologically and clinically more relevant. We here executed ETKAS-based computer simulations to evaluate the impact of epitope matching on allocation and compared the strategies. A virtual population of 400,000 individuals was generated using the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) haplotype frequency dataset of 2011. Using this population, a waiting list of 10,400 patients was constructed and maintained during simulation, matching the 2015 Eurotransplant Annual Report characteristics. Unacceptable antigens were assigned randomly relative to their frequency using HLAMatchmaker. Over 22,600 kidneys were allocated in 10 years in triplicate using Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations on 32-CPU-core cloud-computing instances. T-cell epitopes were calculated using the www.pirche.com portal. Waiting list effects were evaluated against ETKAS for five epitope matching scenarios. Baseline simulations of ETKAS slightly overestimated reported average HLA match grades. The best balanced scenario maintained prioritisation of HLA A-B-DR fully matched donors while replacing the HLA match grade by PIRCHE-II score and exchanging the HLA mismatch probability (MMP) by epitope MMP. This setup showed no considerable impact on kidney exchange rates and waiting time. PIRCHE-II scores improved, whereas the average HLA match grade diminishes slightly, yet leading to an improved estimated graft survival. We conclude that epitope-based matching in deceased donor kidney allocation is feasible while maintaining equal balances on the waiting list.

scholarly journals The Antigenic Topology of Norovirus as Defined by B and T Cell Epitope Mapping: Implications for Universal Vaccines and Therapeutics

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. van Loben Sels ◽  
Kim Y. Green
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Cell Epitope ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
B Cell Epitopes ◽  
P Domain ◽  
Capsid Protein Vp1 ◽  
Murine Noroviruses ◽  
Acute Nonbacterial Gastroenteritis ◽  
Insight Into

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis. Vaccine design has been confounded by the antigenic diversity of these viruses and a limited understanding of protective immunity. We reviewed 77 articles published since 1988 describing the isolation, function, and mapping of 307 unique monoclonal antibodies directed against B cell epitopes of human and murine noroviruses representing diverse Genogroups (G). Of these antibodies, 91, 153, 21, and 42 were reported as GI-specific, GII-specific, MNV GV-specific, and G cross-reactive, respectively. Our goal was to reconstruct the antigenic topology of noroviruses in relationship to mapped epitopes with potential for therapeutic use or inclusion in universal vaccines. Furthermore, we reviewed seven published studies of norovirus T cell epitopes that identified 18 unique peptide sequences with CD4- or CD8-stimulating activity. Both the protruding (P) and shell (S) domains of the major capsid protein VP1 contained B and T cell epitopes, with the majority of neutralizing and HBGA-blocking B cell epitopes mapping in or proximal to the surface-exposed P2 region of the P domain. The majority of broadly reactive B and T cell epitopes mapped to the S and P1 arm of the P domain. Taken together, this atlas of mapped B and T cell epitopes offers insight into the promises and challenges of designing universal vaccines and immunotherapy for the noroviruses.

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