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Zhuang Z, Zhuo J, Yuan Y, Chen Z, Zhang S, Zhu A, Zhao J, Zhao J. Harnessing T-Cells for Enhanced Vaccine Development against Viral Infections. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:478. [PMID: 38793729 PMCID: PMC11125924 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12050478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite significant strides in vaccine research and the availability of vaccines for many infectious diseases, the threat posed by both known and emerging infectious diseases persists. Moreover, breakthrough infections following vaccination remain a concern. Therefore, the development of novel vaccines is imperative. These vaccines must exhibit robust protective efficacy, broad-spectrum coverage, and long-lasting immunity. One promising avenue in vaccine development lies in leveraging T-cells, which play a crucial role in adaptive immunity and regulate immune responses during viral infections. T-cell recognition can target highly variable or conserved viral proteins, and memory T-cells offer the potential for durable immunity. Consequently, T-cell-based vaccines hold promise for advancing vaccine development efforts. This review delves into the latest research advancements in T-cell-based vaccines across various platforms and discusses the associated challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jianfen Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Yaochang Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
| | - Zhao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
| | - Shengnan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
| | - Airu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jingxian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Jincun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; (Z.Z.); (J.Z.); (Y.Y.); (Z.C.); (S.Z.); (A.Z.); (J.Z.)
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
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Tada T, Norton TD, Leibowitz R, Landau NR. Checkpoint inhibitor-expressing lentiviral vaccine suppresses tumor growth in preclinical cancer models. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008761. [PMID: 38658032 PMCID: PMC11043704 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While immunotherapy has been highly successful for the treatment of some cancers, for others, the immune response to tumor antigens is weak leading to treatment failure. The resistance of tumors to checkpoint inhibitor therapy may be caused by T cell exhaustion resulting from checkpoint activation. METHODS In this study, lentiviral vectors that expressed T cell epitopes of an experimentally introduced tumor antigen, ovalbumin, or the endogenous tumor antigen, Trp1 were developed. The vectors coexpressed CD40 ligand (CD40L), which served to mature the dendritic cells (DCs), and a soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) microbody to prevent checkpoint activation. Vaccination of mice bearing B16.OVA melanomas with vector-transduced DCs induced the proliferation and activation of functional, antigen-specific, cytolytic CD8 T cells. RESULTS Vaccination induced the expansion of CD8 T cells that infiltrated the tumors to suppress tumor growth. Vector-encoded CD40L and PD-1 microbody increased the extent of tumor growth suppression. Adoptive transfer demonstrated that the effect was mediated by CD8 T cells. Direct injection of the vector, without the need for ex vivo transduction of DCs, was also effective. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that therapeutic vaccination that induces tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells coupled with a vector-expressed checkpoint inhibitor can be an effective means to suppress the growth of tumors that are resistant to conventional immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Tada
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Thomas D Norton
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rebecca Leibowitz
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nathaniel R Landau
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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Tada T, Peng JY, Dcosta BM, Landau NR. Single-epitope T cell-based vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a preclinical animal model. JCI Insight 2023; 8:167306. [PMID: 37036004 PMCID: PMC10132166 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.167306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines induce humoral and cellular responses to epitopes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, though the relative roles of antibodies and T cells in protection are not well understood. To understand the role of vaccine-elicited T cell responses in protection, we established a T cell-only vaccine using a DC-targeted lentiviral vector expressing single CD8+ T cell epitopes of the viral nucleocapsid, spike, and ORF1. Immunization of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-transgenic mice with ex vivo lentiviral vector-transduced DCs or by direct injection of the vector induced the proliferation of functional antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, resulting in a 3-log decrease in virus load upon live virus challenge that was effective against the ancestral virus and Omicron variants. The Pfizer/BNT162b2 vaccine was also protective in mice, but the antibodies elicited did not cross-react on the Omicron variants, suggesting that the protection was mediated by T cells. The studies suggest that the T cell response plays an important role in vaccine protection. The findings suggest that the incorporation of additional T cell epitopes into current vaccines would increase their effectiveness and broaden protection.
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Brunetti JE, Kitsera M, Muñoz-Fontela C, Rodríguez E. Use of Hu-PBL Mice to Study Pathogenesis of Human-Restricted Viruses. Viruses 2023; 15:228. [PMID: 36680271 PMCID: PMC9866769 DOI: 10.3390/v15010228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Different humanized mouse models have been developed to study human diseases such as autoimmune illnesses, cancer and viral infections. These models are based on the use of immunodeficient mouse strains that are transplanted with human tissues or human immune cells. Among the latter, mice transplanted with hematopoietic stem cells have been widely used to study human infectious diseases. However, mouse models built upon the transplantation of donor-specific mature immune cells are still under development, especially in the field of viral infections. These models can retain the unique immune memory of the donor, making them suitable for the study of correlates of protection upon natural infection or vaccination. Here, we will review some of these models and how they have been applied to virology research. Moreover, the future applications and the potential of these models to design therapies against human viral infections are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maksym Kitsera
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - César Muñoz-Fontela
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Estefanía Rodríguez
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
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Tada T, Norton TD, Leibowitz R, Landau NR. Directly injected lentiviral vector-based T cell vaccine protects mice against acute and chronic viral infection. JCI Insight 2022; 7:161598. [PMID: 35972807 PMCID: PMC9675446 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.161598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vector–based dendritic cell vaccines induce protective T cell responses against viral infection and cancer in animal models. In this study, we tested whether preventative and therapeutic vaccination could be achieved by direct injection of antigen-expressing lentiviral vector, obviating the need for ex vivo transduction of dendritic cells. Injected lentiviral vector preferentially transduced splenic dendritic cells and resulted in long-term expression. Injection of a lentiviral vector encoding an MHC class I–restricted T cell epitope of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and CD40 ligand induced an antigen-specific cytolytic CD8+ T lymphocyte response that protected the mice from infection. The injection of chronically infected mice with a lentiviral vector encoding LCMV MHC class I and II T cell epitopes and a soluble programmed cell death 1 microbody rapidly cleared the virus. Vaccination by direct injection of lentiviral vector was more effective in sterile alpha motif and HD-domain containing protein 1–knockout (SAMHD1-knockout) mice, suggesting that lentiviral vectors containing Vpx, a lentiviral protein that increases the efficiency of dendritic cell transduction by inducing the degradation of SAMHD1, would be an effective strategy for the treatment of chronic disease in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Tada
- Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Thomas D Norton
- Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Rebecca Leibowitz
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel R Landau
- Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, United States of America
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Lentiviral vectors have emerged as powerful vectors for vaccination, due to their high efficiency to transduce dendritic cells and to induce long-lasting humoral immunity, CD8+ T cells, and effective protection in numerous preclinical animal models of infection and oncology. AREAS COVERED Here, we reviewed the literature, highlighting the relevance of lentiviral vectors in vaccinology. We recapitulated both their virological and immunological aspects of lentiviral vectors. We compared lentiviral vectors to the gold standard viral vaccine vectors, i.e. adenoviral vectors, and updated the latest results in lentiviral vector-based vaccination in preclinical models. EXPERT OPINION Lentiviral vectors are non-replicative, negligibly inflammatory, and not targets of preexisting immunity in human populations. These are major characteristics to consider in vaccine development. The potential of lentiviral vectors to transduce non-dividing cells, including dendritic cells, is determinant in their strong immunogenicity. Notably, lentiviral vectors can be engineered to target antigen expression to specific host cells. The very weak inflammatory properties of these vectors allow their use in mucosal vaccination, with particular interest in infectious diseases that affect the lungs or brain, including COVID-19. Recent results in various preclinical models have reinforced the interest of these vectors in prophylaxis against infectious diseases and in onco-immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Wen Ku
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Charneau
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
| | - Laleh Majlessi
- Virology Department, Institut Pasteur-TheraVectys Joint Lab, Paris, France
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