scholarly journals Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies to Adenoviral Serotypes 5 and 35 in the Adult Populations of The Gambia, South Africa, and the United States

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Nwanegbo ◽  
Eftyhia Vardas ◽  
Wentao Gao ◽  
Hilton Whittle ◽  
Huijie Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
The United States ◽  
Neutralization Assay ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Lung Carcinoma Cells

ABSTRACT One of the major limitations of the use of adenoviruses as gene therapy vectors is the existence of preformed immunity in various populations. Recent studies have linked failure of adenoviral gene therapy trials to the presence of antiadenoviral neutralizing antibodies (NAb). Understanding the distribution and specificity of such antibodies will assist in the design of successful recombinant adenoviral gene therapies and vaccines. To assess the prevalence of NAb to adenovirus serotypes 5 and 35 (Ad5 and Ad35), we analyzed serum samples from adult immunocompetent individuals living in The Gambia, South Africa, and the United States by using a neutralization assay. Serum samples were incubated with A549 lung carcinoma cells and adenoviruses encoding enhanced green or yellow fluorescent proteins; results were analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Using this technique, we found a high prevalence of NAb against Ad5 in Gambian, South African, and U.S. subjects at both low and high titers. Conversely, all subjects displayed a low prevalence of NAb to Ad35; when present, anti-Ad35 NAb were seen at low titers. Because of the ability of adenoviruses to elicit systemic and mucosal immune responses, Ad35 with its low NAb prevalence appears to be an attractive candidate vector for gene therapy applications.

Alexander Hamilton and the Early Republic in Edwardian Imperial Thought

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. Kirkwood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Early Republic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Alexander Hamilton ◽  
George Washington ◽  
American Federation ◽  
Treaty Of Versailles ◽  
The Federalist ◽  
The Federalist Papers

In the first decade of the twentieth century, a rising generation of British colonial administrators profoundly altered British usage of American history in imperial debates. In the process, they influenced both South African history and wider British imperial thought. Prior usage of the Revolution and Early Republic in such debates focused on the United States as a cautionary tale, warning against future ‘lost colonies’. Aided by the publication of F. S. Oliver's Alexander Hamilton (1906), administrators in South Africa used the figures of Hamilton and George Washington, the Federalist Papers, and the drafting of the Constitution as an Anglo-exceptionalist model of (modern) self-government. In doing so they applied the lessons of the Early Republic to South Africa, thereby contributing to the formation of the Union of 1910. They then brought their reconception of the United States, and their belief in the need for ‘imperial federation’, back to the metropole. There they fostered growing diplomatic ties with the US while recasting British political history in-light-of the example of American federation. This process of inter-imperial exchange culminated shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles when the Boer Generals Botha and Smuts were publicly presented as Washington and Hamilton reborn.

Global Power Shift

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberts Cynthia ◽  
Leslie Armijo ◽  
Saori Katada
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rising Powers ◽  
Extensive Data ◽  
Power Shift ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Global Power ◽  
Rise Of China

This chapter evaluates multiple dimensions of the global power shift from the incumbent G5/G7 powers to the rising powers, especially the members of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Taking note of alternative conceptualizations of interstate “power,” the text maps the redistribution of economic capabilities from the G7 to the BRICS, most particularly the relative rise of China and decline of Japan, and especially Europe. Given these clear trends in measurable material capabilities, the BRICS have obtained considerable autonomy from outside pressures. Although the BRICS’ economic, financial, and monetary capabilities remain uneven, their relative positions have improved steadily. Via extensive data analysis, the chapter finds that whether one examines China alone or the BRICS as a group, BRICS members have achieved the necessary capabilities to challenge the global economic and financial leadership of the currently dominant powers, perhaps even the United States one day.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Pseudovirus Neutralization Assay for SARS-CoV-2 and Correlation with Live Virus-Based Micro Neutralization Assay

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 994
Author(s):  
Ahmed Majdi K. Tolah ◽  
Sayed S. Sohrab ◽  
Khaled Majdi K. Tolah ◽  
Ahmed M. Hassan ◽  
Sherif A. El-Kafrawy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Neutralization Assay ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Live Virus ◽  
Spike Gene ◽  
Microneutralization Assay ◽  
Viral Particles ◽  
Reliable Performance ◽  
Prior Infection

The unusual cases of pneumonia outbreak were reported from Wuhan city in late December 2019. Serological testing provides a powerful tool for the identification of prior infection and for epidemiological studies. Pseudotype virus neutralization assays are widely used for many viruses and applications in the fields of serology. The accuracy of pseudotype neutralizing assay allows for its use in low biosafety lab and provides a safe and effective alternative to the use of wild-type viruses. In this study, we evaluated the performance of this assay compared to the standard microneutralization assay as a reference. The lentiviral pseudotype particles were generated harboring the Spike gene of SARS-CoV-2. The generated pseudotype particles assay was used to evaluate the activity of neutralizing antibodies in 300 human serum samples from a COVID-19 sero-epidemiological study. Testing of these samples resulted in 55 positive samples and 245 negative samples by pseudotype viral particles assay while microneutralization assay resulted in 64 positive and 236 negative by MN assay. Compared to the MN, the pseudotyped viral particles assay showed a sensitivity of 85.94% and a specificity of 100%. Based on the data generated from this study, the pseudotype-based neutralization assay showed a reliable performance for the detection of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and can be used safely and efficiently as a diagnostic tool in a biosafety level 2 laboratory.

scholarly journals The United States’ Regulatory Environment Is Evolving to Accommodate a Coming Boom in Gene Therapy Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Eisenman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
The United States ◽  
Regulatory Environment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Regulatory Structure ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Current State ◽  
Therapy Field

Introduction: A dramatic increase in the number of clinical trials involving gene-modified cell therapy and gene therapy is taking place. The field is on the verge of a boom, and the regulatory environment is evolving to accommodate the growth. Discussion: This commentary summarizes the current state of the field, including an overview of the growth. The United States (US) regulatory structure for gene therapy will be summarized, and the evolution of the oversight structure will be explained. Conclusion: The gene therapy field has recently produced its first FDA-approved therapeutics and has a pipeline of other investigational products in the final stages of clinical trials before they can be evaluated by the FDA as safe and effective therapeutics. As research continues to evolve, so must the oversight structure. Biosafety professionals and IBCs have always played key roles in contributing to the safe, evidence-based advancement of gene therapy research. With the recent regulatory changes and current surge in gene therapy research, the importance of those roles has increased dramatically.

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