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Painter H, Harriss E, Fletcher HA, McShane H, Tanner R. Development and application of the direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay: a systematic review. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1355983. [PMID: 38380319 PMCID: PMC10877019 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1355983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction First described by Wallis et al. in 2001 for the assessment of TB drugs, the direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) offers a tractable ex vivo tool measuring the combined influences of host immunity, strain virulence and intervention effects. Over the past 13 years, we have led efforts to adapt the direct MGIA for the assessment of TB vaccines including optimisation, harmonisation and validation of BCG vaccine-induced responses as a benchmark, as well as assay transfer to institutes worldwide. Methods We have performed a systematic review on the primary published literature describing the development and applications of the direct MGIA from 2001 to June 2023 in accordance with the PRISMA reporting guidelines. Results We describe 63 studies in which the direct MGIA has been applied across species for the evaluation of TB drugs and novel TB vaccine candidates, the study of clinical cohorts including those with comorbidities, and to further understanding of potential immune correlates of protection from TB. We provide a comprehensive update on progress of the assay since its conception and critically evaluate current findings and evidence supporting its utility, highlighting priorities for future directions. Discussion While further standardisation and validation work is required, significant advancements have been made in the past two decades. The direct MGIA provides a potentially valuable tool for the early evaluation of TB drug and vaccine candidates, clinical cohorts, and immune mechanisms of mycobacterial control. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023423491.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Painter
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eli Harriss
- Bodleian Health Care Libraries, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Helen A. Fletcher
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen McShane
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Tanner
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Wang R, Fan X, Xu D, Li M, Zhao X, Cao B, Qian C, Yu J, Fang D, Gu Y, Wan K, Liu H. Comparison of the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of rBCG-EPCP009, BCG Prime-EPCP009 Booster, and EPCP009 Protein Regimens as Tuberculosis Vaccine Candidates. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1738. [PMID: 38140143 PMCID: PMC10747267 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only widely used prophylactic tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that can prevent severe TB in infants. However, it provides poor protection in adults, and therefore, there is ongoing research into new TB vaccines and immunization strategies with more durable immune effects. The recombinant BCG and BCG prime-protein booster are two important vaccine strategies that have recently been developed based on BCG and could improve immune responses. In this study, three immune strategies based on four protective antigens, namely, ESAT-6, CFP-10, nPPE18, and nPstS1, were applied to construct recombinant rBCG-EPCP009, EPCP009 subunit protein, and BCG prime-EPCP009 booster vaccine candidates. The short- and long-term immune effects after vaccination in Balb/c mice were evaluated based on humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and the ability of spleen cells to inhibit in vitro mycobacterial growth. At 8 and 12 weeks after the initial immunization, splenocytes from mice inoculated with the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster secreted higher levels of PPD- and EPCP009-specific IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α, IL-17, GM-CSF, and IL-12 and had a higher IFN-γ+CD4+ TEM:IL-2+CD8+ TCM cell ratio than splenocytes from mice inoculated with the rBCG-EPCP009 and EPCP009 proteins. In addition, the EPCPE009-specific IgG2a/IgG1 ratio was slightly higher in the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster group than in the other two groups. The in vitro mycobacterial inhibition assay showed that the splenocytes of mice from the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster group exhibited stronger inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) growth than the splenocytes of mice from the other two groups. These results indicate that the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster exhibited superior immunogenicity and M. tuberculosis growth inhibition to the parental BCG, rBCG-EPCP009, and EPCP009 proteins under in vitro conditions. Thus, the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster may be important for the development of a more effective adult TB vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kanglin Wan
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (R.W.); (X.F.); (D.X.); (M.L.); (X.Z.); (B.C.); (C.Q.); (J.Y.); (D.F.); (Y.G.)
| | - Haican Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (R.W.); (X.F.); (D.X.); (M.L.); (X.Z.); (B.C.); (C.Q.); (J.Y.); (D.F.); (Y.G.)
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3
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Fan X, Zhao X, Wang R, Li M, Luan X, Wang R, Wan K, Liu H. A novel multistage antigens ERA005f confer protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis by driving Th-1 and Th-17 type T cell immune responses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1276887. [PMID: 38022539 PMCID: PMC10662081 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1276887] [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: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is a major threat to human health. In 2021, TB was the second leading cause of death after COVID-19 among infectious diseases. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), the only licensed TB vaccine, is ineffective against adult TB. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new effective vaccines. Methods In this study, we developed a novel multistage subunit vaccine (ERA005f) comprising various proteins expressed in metabolic states, based on three immunodominant antigens (ESAT-6, Rv2628, and Ag85B). We utilized the E. coli prokaryotic expression system to express ERA005f and subsequently purified the protein using nickel affinity chromatography and anion exchange. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of ERA005f and ERA005m were evaluated in BALB/c mice. Results ERA005f was consistently expressed as an inclusion body in a prokaryotic expression system, and a highly pure form of the protein was successfully obtained. Both ERA005f and ERA005m significantly improved IgG titers in the serum. In addition, mice immunized with ERA005f and ERA005m generated higher titers of antigen-specific IgG2a than the other groups. Elispot results showed that, compared with other groups, ERA005f increased the numbers of IFN-γ-secreting and IL-4-secreting T cells, especially the number of IFN-γ-secreting T cells. Meanwhile, ERA005f induced a higher number of IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes than ERA005m did. In addition, ERA005f improved the expression of cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-12p70, TNF-α, IL-17, and GM-CSF and so on. Importantly, both ERA005f and ERA005m significantly inhibited the growth of Mtb. Conclusion The novel multistage antigen ERA005f elicited a strong antigen-specific humoral response and Th-1 and Th-17 cell-mediated immunity in mice. Meanwhile, it can effectively inhibit H37Rv growth in vitro, and represents a correlate of protection in vivo, indicating that ERA005f may exhibit excellent protective efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv infection. Our study suggests that ERA005f has the potential to be a promising multistage tuberculosis vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueting Fan
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuqin Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Ruibai Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Machao Li
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuli Luan
- Department of Tuberculosis, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University/Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Ruihuan Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Kanglin Wan
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Haican Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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Wang R, Fan X, Jiang Y, Li G, Li M, Zhao X, Luan X, Deng Y, Chen Z, Liu H, Wan K. Immunogenicity and efficacy analyses of EPC002, ECA006, and EPCP009 protein subunit combinations as tuberculosis vaccine candidates. Vaccine 2023:S0264-410X(23)00385-7. [PMID: 37225573 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide, and developing a new TB vaccine is a priority for TB control. Combining multiple immunodominant antigens to form a novel multicomponent vaccine with broad-spectrum antigens to induce protective immune responses is a trend in TB vaccine development. In this study, we used T-cell epitope-rich protein subunits to construct three antigenic combinations: EPC002, ECA006, and EPCP009. Fusion expression of purified protein EPC002f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-nPPE18), ECA006f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-Ag85B), and EPCP009f (CFP-10-linker-ESAT-6-linker-nPPE18-linker-nPstS1) and recombinant purified protein mixtures EPC002m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, and nPPE18), ECA006m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, and Ag85B), and EPCP009m (mix of CFP-10, ESAT-6, nPPE18, and nPstS1) were used as antigens, formulated with alum adjuvant, and the immunogenicity and efficacy were analyzed using immunity experiments with BALB/c mice. All protein-immunized groups elicited higher levels of humoral immunity, including IgG and IgG1. The IgG2a/IgG1 ratio of the EPCP009m-immunized group was the highest, followed by that of the EPCP009f-immunized group, which was significantly higher than the ratios of the other four groups. The multiplex microsphere-based cytokine immunoassay revealed that EPCP009f and EPCP009m induced the production of a wider range of cytokines than EPC002f, EPC002m, ECA006f, and ECA006m, which included Th1-type (IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α), Th2-type (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10), Th17-type (IL-17), and other proinflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF, IL-12). The enzyme-linked immunospot assays demonstrated that the EPCP009f- and EPCP009m-immunized groups had significantly higher amounts of IFN-γ than the other four groups. The in vitro mycobacterial growth inhibition assay demonstrated that EPCP009m inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth most strongly, followed by EPCP009f, which was significantly better than that of the other four vaccine candidates. These results indicated that EPCP009m containing four immunodominant antigens exhibited better immunogenicity and Mtb growth inhibition in vitro and may be a promising candidate vaccine for the control of TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xueting Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Guilian Li
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Machao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuqin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuli Luan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yunli Deng
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Community Health Management Service Center, Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zixin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Department of Infection Control, Longgang District People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haican Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
| | - Kanglin Wan
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
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Rajkumar-Bhugeloo K, Moodley D, Mpotje T, Marakalala MJ. Host determinants of TB disease as targets for HDTs development: A study protocol. Wellcome Open Res 2023. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19145.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a major global health challenge. New diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are required to curb TB transmission. Here we outline a protocol to validate inflammatory proteins as potential biomarkers of TB disease and to evaluate the candidate genes as potential targets for host-directed therapy (HDT) development. Blood will be isolated from healthy, latent TB infected (LTBI) individuals and TB patients, and expression profiles of genes of interest will be determined using qPCR. A human monocytic cell line will be utilized to knock down genes of interest and to evaluate their contribution to Mtb infection. Pharmaceutical interception of target genes will be performed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with Mtb. This work will result in identification of TB associated inflammatory markers that can also be targeted for HDT development.
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A Multistage Antigen Complex Epera013 Promotes Efficient and Comprehensive Immune Responses in BALB/c Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11030609. [PMID: 36992193 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11030609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious global health problem. Despite the widespread use of the Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, the primary factor for the TB pandemic and deaths is adult TB, which mainly result from endogenous reactivation of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Improved new TB vaccines with eligible safety and long-lasting protective efficacy remains a crucial step toward the prevention and control of TB. In this study, five immunodominant antigens, including three early secreted antigens and two latency associated antigens, were used to construct a single recombinant fusion protein (Epera013f) and a protein mixture (Epera013m). When formulated with aluminum adjuvant, the two subunit vaccines Epera013m and Epera013f were administered to BALB/c mice. The humoral immune responses, cellular responses and MTB growth inhibiting capacity elicited after Epera013m and Epera013f immunization were analyzed. In the present study, we demonstrated that both the Epera013f and Epera013m were capable of inducing a considerable immune response and protective efficacy against H37Rv infection compared with BCG groups. In addition, Epera013f generated a more comprehensive and balanced immune status, including Th1, Th2 and innate immune response, over Epera013f and BCG. The multistage antigen complex Epera013f possesses considerable immunogenicity and protective efficacy against MTB infection ex vivo indicating its potential and promising applications in further TB vaccine development.
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Tanner R, Hoogkamer E, Bitencourt J, White A, Boot C, Sombroek CC, Harris SA, O'Shea MK, Wright D, Wittenberg R, Sarfas C, Satti I, Verreck FA, Sharpe SA, Fletcher HA, McShane H. The in vitro direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) for the early evaluation of TB vaccine candidates and assessment of protective immunity: a protocol for non-human primate cells. F1000Res 2021; 10:257. [PMID: 33976866 PMCID: PMC8097740 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.51640.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The only currently available approach to early efficacy testing of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidates is in vivo preclinical challenge models. These typically include mice, guinea pigs and non-human primates (NHPs), which must be exposed to virulent M.tb in a 'challenge' experiment following vaccination in order to evaluate protective efficacy. This procedure results in disease development and is classified as 'Moderate' in severity under EU legislation and UK ASPA licensure. Furthermore, experiments are relatively long and animals must be maintained in high containment level facilities, making them relatively costly. We describe an in vitro protocol for the direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) for use in the macaque model of TB vaccine development with the aim of overcoming some of these limitations. Importantly, using an in vitro assay in place of in vivo M.tb challenge represents a significant refinement to the existing procedure for early vaccine efficacy testing. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell and autologous serum samples collected from vaccinated and unvaccinated control animals are co-cultured with mycobacteria in a 48-well plate format for 96 hours. Adherent monocytes are then lysed to release intracellular mycobacteria which is quantified using the BACTEC MGIT system and colony-forming units determined relative to an inoculum control and stock standard curve. We discuss related optimisation and characterisation experiments, and review evidence that the direct NHP MGIA provides a biologically relevant model of vaccine-induced protection. The potential end-users of the NHP MGIA are academic and industry organisations that conduct the assessment of TB vaccine candidates and associated protective immunity using the NHP model. This approach aims to provide a method for high-throughput down-selection of vaccine candidates going forward to in vivo efficacy testing, thus expediting the development of a more efficacious TB vaccine and offering potential refinement and reduction to the use of NHPs for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tanner
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Emily Hoogkamer
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Public Health England, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Julia Bitencourt
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Gonҫalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, 40296-710, Brazil
| | | | - Charelle Boot
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | - Claudia C. Sombroek
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | | | - Matthew K. O'Shea
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, UK, Birmingham, B15 2TH, UK
| | - Daniel Wright
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Rachel Wittenberg
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | | | - Iman Satti
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Frank A.W. Verreck
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | | | - Helen A. Fletcher
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Helen McShane
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
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8
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Tanner R, Hoogkamer E, Bitencourt J, White A, Boot C, Sombroek CC, Harris SA, O'Shea MK, Wright D, Wittenberg R, Sarfas C, Satti I, Verreck FAW, Sharpe SA, Fletcher HA, McShane H. The in vitro direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) for the early evaluation of TB vaccine candidates and assessment of protective immunity: a protocol for non-human primate cells. F1000Res 2021; 10:257. [PMID: 33976866 PMCID: PMC8097740.2 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.51640.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The only currently available approach to early efficacy testing of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidates is in vivo preclinical challenge models. These typically include mice, guinea pigs and non-human primates (NHPs), which must be exposed to virulent M.tb in a 'challenge' experiment following vaccination in order to evaluate protective efficacy. This procedure results in disease development and is classified as 'Moderate' in severity under EU legislation and UK ASPA licensure. Furthermore, experiments are relatively long and animals must be maintained in high containment level facilities, making them relatively costly. We describe an in vitro protocol for the direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) for use in the macaque model of TB vaccine development with the aim of overcoming some of these limitations. Importantly, using an in vitro assay in place of in vivo M.tb challenge represents a significant refinement to the existing procedure for early vaccine efficacy testing. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell and autologous serum samples collected from vaccinated and unvaccinated control animals are co-cultured with mycobacteria in a 48-well plate format for 96 hours. Adherent monocytes are then lysed to release intracellular mycobacteria which is quantified using the BACTEC MGIT system and colony-forming units determined relative to an inoculum control and stock standard curve. We discuss related optimisation and characterisation experiments, and review evidence that the direct NHP MGIA provides a biologically relevant model of vaccine-induced protection. The potential end-users of the NHP MGIA are academic and industry organisations that conduct the assessment of TB vaccine candidates and associated protective immunity using the NHP model. This approach aims to provide a method for high-throughput down-selection of vaccine candidates going forward to in vivo efficacy testing, thus expediting the development of a more efficacious TB vaccine and offering potential refinement and reduction to the use of NHPs for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tanner
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Emily Hoogkamer
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Public Health England, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Julia Bitencourt
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Gonҫalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, 40296-710, Brazil
| | | | - Charelle Boot
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | - Claudia C Sombroek
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | - Stephanie A Harris
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Matthew K O'Shea
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, UK, Birmingham, B15 2TH, UK
| | - Daniel Wright
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Rachel Wittenberg
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | | | - Iman Satti
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Frank A W Verreck
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, 2288 GJ, The Netherlands
| | | | - Helen A Fletcher
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Helen McShane
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
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Painter H, Prabowo SA, Cia F, Stockdale L, Tanner R, Willcocks S, Reljic R, Fletcher HA, Zelmer A. Adaption of the ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition assay for use with murine lung cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3311. [PMID: 32094451 PMCID: PMC7039920 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60223-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the absence of a correlate(s) of protection against human tuberculosis and a validated animal model of the disease, tools to facilitate vaccine development must be identified. We present an optimised ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) to assess the ability of host cells within the lung to inhibit mycobacterial growth, including Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Erdman. Growth of BCG was reduced by 0.39, 0.96 and 0.73 log10 CFU following subcutaneous (s.c.) BCG, intranasal (i.n.) BCG, or BCG s.c. + mucosal boost, respectively, versus naïve mice. Comparatively, a 0.49 (s.c.), 0.60 (i.n.) and 0.81 (s.c. + mucosal boost) log10 reduction in MTB CFU was found. A BCG growth inhibitor, 2-thiophenecarboxylic acid hydrazide (TCH), was used to prevent quantification of residual BCG from i.n. immunisation and allow accurate MTB quantification. Using TCH, a further 0.58 log10 reduction in MTB CFU was revealed in the i.n. group. In combination with existing methods, the ex vivo lung MGIA may represent an important tool for analysis of vaccine efficacy and the immune mechanisms associated with vaccination in the organ primarily affected by MTB disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Painter
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
| | - Satria A Prabowo
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Felipe Cia
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Lisa Stockdale
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX4 2PG, UK
| | - Rachel Tanner
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Samuel Willcocks
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Rajko Reljic
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Helen A Fletcher
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Andrea Zelmer
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
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10
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Miyake Y, Yamasaki S. Immune Recognition of Pathogen-Derived Glycolipids Through Mincle. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1204:31-56. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-1580-4_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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11
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Prabowo SA, Smith SG, Seifert K, Fletcher HA. Impact of individual-level factors on Ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition: Associations of immune cell phenotype, cytomegalovirus-specific response and sex with immunity following BCG vaccination in humans. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2019; 119:101876. [PMID: 31698310 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2019.101876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Understanding factors associated with varying efficacy of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) would aid the development of improved vaccines against tuberculosis (TB). In addition, investigation of individual-level factors affecting mycobacterial-specific immune responses could provide insight into confounders of vaccine efficacy in clinical trials. Mycobacterial growth inhibition assays (MGIA) have been developed to assess vaccine immunogenicity ex vivo and provide a measure of immune function against live mycobacteria. In this study, we assessed the impact of immune cell phenotype, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific response and sex on ex vivo growth inhibition following historical BCG vaccination in a cohort of healthy individuals (n = 100). A higher frequency of cytokine-producing NK cells in peripheral blood was associated with enhanced ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition following historical BCG vaccination. A CMV-specific response was associated with T-cell activation, a risk factor for TB disease and we also observed an association between T-cell activation and ex vivo mycobacterial growth. Interestingly, BCG-vaccinated females in our cohort controlled mycobacterial growth better than males. In summary, our present study has shown that individual-level factors influence capacity to control mycobacterial growth following BCG vaccination and the MGIA could be used as a tool to assess how vaccine candidates may perform in different populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satria A Prabowo
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Steven G Smith
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Karin Seifert
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Helen A Fletcher
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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12
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Prabowo SA, Painter H, Zelmer A, Smith SG, Seifert K, Amat M, Cardona PJ, Fletcher HA. RUTI Vaccination Enhances Inhibition of Mycobacterial Growth ex vivo and Induces a Shift of Monocyte Phenotype in Mice. Front Immunol 2019; 10:894. [PMID: 31114572 PMCID: PMC6503078 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem and there is a dire need for an improved treatment. A strategy to combine vaccination with drug treatment, termed therapeutic vaccination, is expected to provide benefit in shortening treatment duration and augmenting treatment success rate. RUTI candidate vaccine has been specifically developed as a therapeutic vaccine for TB. The vaccine is shown to reduce bacillary load when administered after chemotherapy in murine and guinea pig models, and is also immunogenic when given to healthy adults and individuals with latent TB. In the absence of a validated correlate of vaccine-induced protection for TB vaccine testing, mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) has been developed as a comprehensive tool to evaluate vaccine potency ex vivo. In this study, we investigated the potential of RUTI vaccine to control mycobacterial growth ex vivo and demonstrated the capacity of MGIA to aid the identification of essential immune mechanism. We found an association between the peak response of vaccine-induced growth inhibition and a shift in monocyte phenotype following RUTI vaccination in healthy mice. The vaccination significantly increased the frequency of non-classical Ly6C− monocytes in the spleen after two doses of RUTI. Furthermore, mRNA expressions of Ly6C−-related transcripts (Nr4a1, Itgax, Pparg, Bcl2) were upregulated at the peak vaccine response. This is the first time the impact of RUTI has been assessed on monocyte phenotype. Given that non-classical Ly6C− monocytes are considered to play an anti-inflammatory role, our findings in conjunction with previous studies have demonstrated that RUTI could induce a balanced immune response, promoting an effective cell-mediated response whilst at the same time limiting excessive inflammation. On the other hand, the impact of RUTI on non-classical monocytes could also reflect its impact on trained innate immunity which warrants further investigation. In summary, we have demonstrated a novel mechanism of action of the RUTI vaccine, which suggests the importance of a balanced M1/M2 monocyte function in controlling mycobacterial infection. The MGIA could be used as a screening tool for therapeutic TB vaccine candidates and may aid the development of therapeutic vaccination regimens for TB in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satria A Prabowo
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Painter
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Zelmer
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven G Smith
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karin Seifert
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Pere-Joan Cardona
- Experimental Tuberculosis Unit (UTE), Fundació Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
| | - Helen A Fletcher
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Lee H, Kim J, Kang YA, Kim DR, Sim B, Zelmer A, Fletcher HA, Dockrell HM, Smith SG, Cho SN. In vitro Mycobacterial Growth Inhibition in South Korean Adults With Latent TB Infection. Front Immunol 2019; 10:896. [PMID: 31105706 PMCID: PMC6497970 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: It is important to understand the ability to inhibit mycobacterial growth in healthy adults who would have been Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccinated in childhood as this group will be the potential target population for novel booster TB vaccine trials. In this study we investigated not only the long-term immunity induced by childhood BCG vaccination but also protective immunity in terms of the ability to inhibit mycobacterial growth in those who were BCG vaccinated in childhood, with evidence of recent or remote TB infection. Methods: We measured the baseline immune response using a functional mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) as a novel approach and an intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay as a reference approach in healthy adults, with different status of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. Results: Based on MGIA responses in historically BCG-vaccinated healthy adults, demographical characteristics including age, and gender did not affect mycobacterial growth inhibition in PBMC. However, the uninfected healthy control (HC) group showed a greater ability to inhibit mycobacterial growth compared with the latent TB infection (LTBI) group (P = 0.0005). In terms of the M. tuberculosis antigen-specific T-cell immune response in diluted whole blood quantitated using an ICS assay, the LTBI group had a higher frequency of polyfunctional CD 4+ T cells compared with the HC group (P = 0.0002), although there was no correlation between ICS and the MGIA assay. Conclusion: The Mtb infection status had a significant impact on mycobacterial growth inhibition in PBMC from healthy adults in South Korea, a country with an intermediate burden of tuberculosis, with healthy controls showing the greatest mycobacterial growth inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyejon Lee
- Clinical Vaccine Research Section, International Tuberculosis Research Center, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jungho Kim
- Clinical Vaccine Research Section, International Tuberculosis Research Center, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Young Ae Kang
- Division of Pulmonary, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Institute of Chest Diseases, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Deok Ryun Kim
- Development and Delivery Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bora Sim
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Andrea Zelmer
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen A. Fletcher
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hazel M. Dockrell
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven G. Smith
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sang-Nae Cho
- Clinical Vaccine Research Section, International Tuberculosis Research Center, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Immunology and Immunological Disease, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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14
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Prabowo SA, Zelmer A, Stockdale L, Ojha U, Smith SG, Seifert K, Fletcher HA. Historical BCG vaccination combined with drug treatment enhances inhibition of mycobacterial growth ex vivo in human peripheral blood cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4842. [PMID: 30890730 PMCID: PMC6425030 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41008-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious cause of death globally. Drug treatment and vaccination, in particular with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), remain the main strategies to control TB. With the emergence of drug resistance, it has been proposed that a combination of TB vaccination with pharmacological treatment may provide a greater therapeutic value. We implemented an ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) to discriminate vaccine responses in historically BCG-vaccinated human volunteers and to assess the contribution of vaccine-mediated immune response towards the killing effect of mycobacteria in the presence of the antibiotics isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), in an attempt to develop the assay as a screening tool for therapeutic TB vaccines. BCG vaccination significantly enhanced the ability of INH to control mycobacterial growth ex vivo. The BCG-vaccinated group displayed a higher production of IFN-γ and IP-10 when peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were co-cultured with INH, with a similar trend during co-culture with RIF. A higher frequency of IFN-γ+ and TNF-α+ CD3- CD4- CD8- cells was observed, suggesting the contribution of Natural Killer (NK) cells in the combined effect between BCG vaccination and INH. Taken together, our data indicate the efficacy of INH can be augmented following historical BCG vaccination, which support findings from previous observational and animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satria A Prabowo
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Andrea Zelmer
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Lisa Stockdale
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Utkarsh Ojha
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Steven G Smith
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Karin Seifert
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Helen A Fletcher
- Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
- Tuberculosis Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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15
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Optimisation, harmonisation and standardisation of the direct mycobacterial growth inhibition assay using cryopreserved human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. J Immunol Methods 2019; 469:1-10. [PMID: 30710562 PMCID: PMC7926177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge to tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development is the lack of a validated immune correlate of protection. Mycobacterial growth inhibition assays (MGIAs) represent an unbiased measure of the ability to control mycobacterial growth in vitro. A successful MGIA could be applied to preclinical and clinical post-vaccination samples to aid in the selection of novel vaccine candidates at an early stage and provide a relevant measure of immunogenicity and protection. However, assay harmonisation is critical to ensure that comparable information can be extracted from different vaccine studies. As part of the FP7 European Research Infrastructures for Poverty Related Diseases (EURIPRED) consortium, we aimed to optimise the direct MGIA, assess repeatability and reproducibility, and harmonise the assay across different laboratories. We observed an improvement in repeatability with increased cell number and increased mycobacterial input. Furthermore, we determined that co-culturing in static 48-well plates compared with rotating 2 ml tubes resulted in a 23% increase in cell viability and a 500-fold increase in interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production on average, as well as improved reproducibility between replicates, assay runs and sites. Applying the optimised conditions, we report repeatability to be <5% coefficient of variation (CV), intermediate precision to be <20% CV, and inter-site reproducibility to be <30% CV; levels within acceptable limits for a functional cell-based assay. Using relevant clinical samples, we demonstrated comparable results across two shared sample sets at three sites. Based on these findings, we have established a standardised operating procedure (SOP) for the use of the direct PBMC MGIA in TB vaccine development.
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16
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Tanner R, Satti I, Harris SA, O'Shea MK, Cizmeci D, O'Connor D, Chomka A, Matsumiya M, Wittenberg R, Minassian AM, Meyer J, Fletcher HA, McShane H. Tools for Assessing the Protective Efficacy of TB Vaccines in Humans: in vitro Mycobacterial Growth Inhibition Predicts Outcome of in vivo Mycobacterial Infection. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2983. [PMID: 31998295 PMCID: PMC6968127 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality and an effective new vaccine is urgently needed. A major barrier to the rational development of novel TB vaccines is the lack of a validated immune correlate or biomarker of protection. Mycobacterial Growth Inhibition Assays (MGIAs) provide an unbiased measure of ability to control mycobacterial growth in vitro, and may represent a functional correlate of protection. However, the biological relevance of any potential correlate can only be assessed by determining the association with in vivo protection from either a controlled mycobacterial infection or natural development of TB disease. Our data demonstrate that the direct MGIA using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is measuring a biologically relevant response that correlates with protection from in vivo human BCG infection across two independent cohorts. This is the first report of an MGIA correlating with in vivo protection in the species-of-interest, humans, and furthermore on a per-individual as well as per-group basis. Control of mycobacterial growth in the MGIA is associated with a range of immune parameters measured post-BCG infection in vivo including the IFN-γ ELISpot response, frequency of PPD-specific IFN-γ or TNF-α producing CD4+ T cells and frequency of specific sub-populations of polyfunctional CD4+ T cells. Distinct transcriptomic profiles are associated with good vs. poor mycobacterial control in the MGIA, with good controllers showing enrichment for gene sets associated with antigen processing/presentation and the IL-23 pathway, and poor controllers showing enrichment for hypoxia-related pathways. This study represents an important step toward biologically validating the direct PBMC MGIA for use in TB vaccine development and furthermore demonstrates the utility of this assay in determining relevant immune mechanisms and pathways of protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tanner
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Iman Satti
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie A Harris
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew K O'Shea
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Deniz Cizmeci
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel O'Connor
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Agnieszka Chomka
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Magali Matsumiya
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Wittenberg
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Angela M Minassian
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Joel Meyer
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Helen A Fletcher
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen McShane
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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17
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Radloff J, Heyckendorf J, van der Merwe L, Sanchez Carballo P, Reiling N, Richter E, Lange C, Kalsdorf B. Mycobacterium Growth Inhibition Assay of Human Alveolar Macrophages as a Correlate of Immune Protection Following Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccination. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1708. [PMID: 30087678 PMCID: PMC6066571 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In order to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), an effective vaccine is urgently needed to prevent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A key obstacle for the development of novel TB vaccines is the lack of surrogate markers for immune protection against M. tuberculosis. Methods We investigated growth rates of M. tuberculosis in the mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) as a marker for mycobacterial growth control of human bronchoalveolar lavage (BALC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) before and after vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) of healthy adult volunteers. Results Vaccination induced a positive response (p < 0.001) to purified protein derivate (PPD) in 58.8% of the individuals in an interferon-γ release assay-ELISpot. Intraindividual evaluation of the MGIA growth rates before and after M. bovis BCG-vaccination revealed no significant difference in time to culture positivity before and after vaccination in BALC (p = 0.604) and PBMC (p = 0.199). The magnitude of the PPD-response induced by M. bovis BCG-vaccination did not correlate with growth control in BALC and PBMC (correlation = 0.468, 95% CI: −0.016 to 0.775). Conclusion In conclusion, M. bovis BCG-vaccination-induced mycobacterial-specific cytokine immune response does not result in functional immune control against M. tuberculosis in the MGIA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Radloff
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,International Health/Infectious Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jan Heyckendorf
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,International Health/Infectious Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Lize van der Merwe
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
| | - Patricia Sanchez Carballo
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,International Health/Infectious Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Norbert Reiling
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,Division of Microbial Interface Biology, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
| | - Elvira Richter
- National Reference Center for Mycobacteria, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
| | - Christoph Lange
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,International Health/Infectious Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Barbara Kalsdorf
- Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg, Germany.,International Health/Infectious Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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18
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Joosten SA, van Meijgaarden KE, Arend SM, Prins C, Oftung F, Korsvold GE, Kik SV, Arts RJ, van Crevel R, Netea MG, Ottenhoff TH. Mycobacterial growth inhibition is associated with trained innate immunity. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:1837-1851. [PMID: 29461976 DOI: 10.1172/jci97508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of defined correlates of protection hampers development of vaccines against tuberculosis (TB). In vitro mycobacterial outgrowth assays are thought to better capture the complexity of the human host/Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) interaction. Here, we used a mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) based on peripheral blood mononuclear cells to investigate the capacity to control outgrowth of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Interestingly, strong control of BCG outgrowth was observed almost exclusively in individuals with recent exposure to Mtb, but not in (long-term) latent TB infection, and only modestly in BCG vaccinees. Mechanistically, control of mycobacterial outgrowth strongly correlated with the presence of a CD14dim monocyte population, but also required the presence of T cells. The nonclassical monocytes produced CXCL10, and CXCR3 receptor blockade inhibited the capacity to control BCG outgrowth. Expression of CXCR3 splice variants was altered in recently Mtb-exposed individuals. Cytokines previously associated with trained immunity were detected in MGIA supernatants, and CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 represent new markers of trained immunity. These data indicate that CXCR3 ligands are associated with trained immunity and are critical factors in controlling mycobacterial outgrowth. In conclusion, control of mycobacterial outgrowth early after exposure to Mtb is the result of trained immunity mediated by a CXCL10-producing nonclassical CD14dim monocyte subset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone A Joosten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Sandra M Arend
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Corine Prins
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Fredrik Oftung
- Division of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gro Ellen Korsvold
- Division of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sandra V Kik
- KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, The Hague, Netherlands
| | - Rob Jw Arts
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Reinout van Crevel
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Mihai G Netea
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Tom Hm Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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