1
|
Kopp W. Aging and "Age-Related" Diseases - What Is the Relation? Aging Dis 2024:AD.2024.0570. [PMID: 39012663 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.0570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The study explores the intricate relationship between aging and the development of noncommunicable diseases [NCDs], focusing on whether these diseases are inevitable consequences of aging or primarily driven by lifestyle factors. By examining epidemiological data, particularly from hunter-gatherer societies, the study highlights that many NCDs prevalent in modern populations are rare in these societies, suggesting a significant influence of lifestyle choices. It delves into the mechanisms through which poor diet, smoking, and other lifestyle factors contribute to systemic physiological imbalances, characterized by oxidative stress, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and the immune system. The interplay between this pattern and individual factors such as genetic susceptibility, biological variability, epigenetic changes and the microbiome is proposed to play a crucial role in the development of a range of age-related NCDs. Modified biomolecules such as oxysterols and advanced glycation end products also contribute to their development. Specific diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, Parkinson's disease, glaucoma and osteoarthritis are analyzed to illustrate these mechanisms. The study concludes that while aging contributes to the risk of NCDs, lifestyle factors play a crucial role, offering potential avenues for prevention and intervention through healthier living practices. One possible approach could be to try to restore the physiological balance, e.g. through dietary measures [e.g. Mediterranean diet, Okinawan diet or Paleolithic diet] in conjunction with [a combination of] pharmacological interventions and other lifestyle changes.
Collapse
|
2
|
Dodoo CC, Hanson-Yamoah E, Adedia D, Erzuah I, Yamoah P, Brobbey F, Cobbold C, Mensah J. Using machine learning algorithms to predict COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A year after the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana. Vaccine X 2024; 18:100466. [PMID: 38444651 PMCID: PMC10911946 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The impact of vaccine hesitancy on global health is one that carries dire consequences. This was evident during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, where numerous theories and rumours emerged. To facilitate targeted actions aimed at increasing vaccine acceptance, it is essential to identify and understand the barriers that hinder vaccine uptake, particularly regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana, one year after its introduction in the country. We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing self-administered questionnaires to determine factors, including barriers, that predict COVID-19 vaccine uptake among clients visiting a tertiary and quaternary hospital using some machine learning algorithms. Among the findings, machine learning models were developed and compared, with the best model employed to predict and guide interventions tailored to specific populations and contexts. A random forest model was utilized for prediction, revealing that the type of facility respondents visited and the presence of underlying medical conditions were significant factors in determining an individual's likelihood of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The results showed that machine learning algorithms can be of great use in determining COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ebo Hanson-Yamoah
- School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - David Adedia
- School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Irene Erzuah
- School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Peter Yamoah
- School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li ZZ, Zhong NN, Cao LM, Cai ZM, Xiao Y, Wang GR, Liu B, Xu C, Bu LL. Nanoparticles Targeting Lymph Nodes for Cancer Immunotherapy: Strategies and Influencing Factors. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308731. [PMID: 38327169 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as a potent strategy in cancer treatment, with many approved drugs and modalities in the development stages. Despite its promise, immunotherapy is not without its limitations, including side effects and suboptimal efficacy. Using nanoparticles (NPs) as delivery vehicles to target immunotherapy to lymph nodes (LNs) can improve the efficacy of immunotherapy drugs and reduce side effects in patients. In this context, this paper reviews the development of LN-targeted immunotherapeutic NP strategies, the mechanisms of NP transport during LN targeting, and their related biosafety risks. NP targeting of LNs involves either passive targeting, influenced by NP physical properties, or active targeting, facilitated by affinity ligands on NP surfaces, while alternative methods, such as intranodal injection and high endothelial venule (HEV) targeting, have uncertain clinical applicability and require further research and validation. LN targeting of NPs for immunotherapy can reduce side effects and increase biocompatibility, but risks such as toxicity, organ accumulation, and oxidative stress remain, although strategies such as biodegradable biomacromolecules, polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating, and impurity addition can mitigate these risks. Additionally, this work concludes with a future-oriented discussion, offering critical insights into the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Zhan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Nian-Nian Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Lei-Ming Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Ze-Min Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Yao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Guang-Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Bing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Chun Xu
- School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Brisbane, 4066, Australia
| | - Lin-Lin Bu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, #237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Saini I, Joshi J, Kaur S. Leishmania vaccine development: A comprehensive review. Cell Immunol 2024; 399-400:104826. [PMID: 38669897 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2024.104826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Infectious diseases like leishmaniasis, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy and filariasis are responsible for an immense burden on public health systems. Among these, leishmaniasis is under the category I diseases as it is selected by WHO (World Health Organization) on the ground of diversity and complexity. High cost, resistance and toxic effects of Leishmania traditional drugs entail identification and development of therapeutic alternative. Since the natural infection elicits robust immunity, consistence efforts are going on to develop a successful vaccine. Clinical trials have been conducted on vaccines like Leish-F1, F2, and F3 formulated using specific Leishmania antigen epitopes. Current strategies utilize individual or combined antigens from the parasite or its insect vector's salivary gland extract, with or without adjuvant formulation for enhanced efficacy. Promising animal data supports multiple vaccine candidates (Lmcen-/-, LmexCen-/-), with some already in or heading for clinical trials. The crucial challenge in Leishmania vaccine development is to translate the research knowledge into affordable and accessible control tools that refines the outcome for those who are susceptible to infection. This review focuses on recent findings in Leishmania vaccines and highlights difficulties facing vaccine development and implementation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isha Saini
- Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Jyoti Joshi
- Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector-32C, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sukhbir Kaur
- Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li Y, Sui S, Goel A. Extracellular vesicles associated microRNAs: Their biology and clinical significance as biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancers. Semin Cancer Biol 2024; 99:5-23. [PMID: 38341121 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including colorectal, gastric, esophageal, pancreatic, and liver, are associated with high mortality and morbidity rates worldwide. One of the underlying reasons for the poor survival outcomes in patients with these malignancies is late disease detection, typically when the tumor has already advanced and potentially spread to distant organs. Increasing evidence indicates that earlier detection of these cancers is associated with improved survival outcomes and, in some cases, allows curative treatments. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the development of molecular biomarkers that offer promise for screening, diagnosis, treatment selection, response assessment, and predicting the prognosis of these cancers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous vesicles released from cells containing a repertoire of biological molecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the most extensively studied non-coding RNAs, and the deregulation of miRNA levels is a feature of cancer cells. EVs miRNAs can serve as messengers for facilitating interactions between tumor cells and the cellular milieu, including immune cells, endothelial cells, and other tumor cells. Furthermore, recent years have witnessed considerable technological advances that have permitted in-depth sequence profiling of these small non-coding RNAs within EVs for their development as promising cancer biomarkers -particularly non-invasive, liquid biopsy markers in various cancers, including GI cancers. Herein, we summarize and discuss the roles of EV-associated miRNAs as they play a seminal role in GI cancer progression, as well as their promising translational and clinical potential as cancer biomarkers as we usher into the area of precision oncology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Li
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, CA, USA; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yangpu Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Silei Sui
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, CA, USA; Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Ajay Goel
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Biomedical Research Center, Monrovia, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Santos AJ, Kislaya I, Matias-Dias C, Machado A. Health beliefs and attitudes toward Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination in Portugal: a study using a mixed-method approach. Front Public Health 2024; 11:1331136. [PMID: 38312138 PMCID: PMC10834706 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1331136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Vaccination is one of the most effective population strategies to prevent infectious diseases and mitigate pandemics, and it is important to understand vaccine uptake determinants since vaccine hesitancy has been increasing for the past few decades. The Health Belief Model (HBM) has been widely used for understanding vaccination behavior. The current study aimed to assess influenza vaccine (IV) non-uptake and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, two important respiratory diseases with similar symptoms, and routes of transmission in the Portuguese population. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using a panel sample of randomly chosen Portuguese households. A total of 1,050 individuals aged 18 years and over responded to a telephone or online questionnaire. Through a mixed-method approach, we employed thematic content analysis to describe reasons for not taking the IV, considering the HBM dimensions, and quantitative statistical analysis to estimate IV and COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Results The IV uptake for the overall population was 30.7% (CI 95%: 26.5, 35.2). Susceptibility was found to be a main factor for IV non-uptake, followed by barriers, such as stock availability and fear of adverse effects. The uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine was very high in the study population (83.1%, CI 95%: 13.6%-20.9%). There was a high perception of COVID-19-associated severity and fear of the consequences. Individuals who reported IV uptake seemed to perceive a higher severity of COVID-19 and a higher benefit of taking the COVID-19 vaccine for severe complications. Discussion Thus, the population does not seem to consider influenza to be a health risk, as opposed to COVID-19, which is considered to be a possibly severe disease. The association between IV uptake and COVID-19 perceptions highlights that an overall attitude toward vaccination in general may be an important individual determinant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana João Santos
- CINTESIS@RISE, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Irina Kislaya
- Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Hamburg, Germany
- Epidemiology Department, National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos Matias-Dias
- Epidemiology Department, National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Public Health Research Centre, National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ausenda Machado
- Epidemiology Department, National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Public Health Research Centre, National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Huang W, Madge HYR, Toth I, Stephenson RJ. Cyclic Peptide Conjugate Vaccines and Physically Mixed Cyclic Peptide Vaccines for Subcutaneous Immunization. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2821:111-127. [PMID: 38997484 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3914-6_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Immune stimulants (adjuvants) enhance immune system recognition to provide an effective and individualized immune response when delivered with an antigen. Synthetic cyclic deca-peptides, co-administered with a toll-like receptor targeting lipopeptide, have shown self-adjuvant properties, dramatically boosting the immune response in a murine model as a subunit peptide-based vaccine containing group A Streptococcus peptide antigens.Here, we designed a novel peptide and lipid adjuvant system for the delivery of group A Streptococcus peptide antigen and a T helper peptide epitope. Following linear peptide synthesis on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin, the linear peptide was cleaved and head-to-tail cyclized in solution. The selective arrangement of amino acids in the deca-peptide allowed for selective conjugation of lipids and/or peptide antigens following cyclisation. Using both solution-phase peptide chemistry and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction were covalently (and selectively) ligated lipid and/or peptide antigens onto the cyclic deca-peptide core. Subcutaneous administration of the vaccine design to mice resulted in the generation of a large number of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice
- Peptides, Cyclic/immunology
- Peptides, Cyclic/chemistry
- Vaccines, Conjugate/immunology
- Vaccines, Conjugate/chemistry
- Vaccines, Conjugate/administration & dosage
- Immunization/methods
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/chemistry
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage
- Injections, Subcutaneous
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Subunit/chemistry
- Streptococcus pyogenes/immunology
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Antigens, Bacterial/immunology
- Antigens, Bacterial/chemistry
- Protein Subunit Vaccines
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Huang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Harrison Y R Madge
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Rachel J Stephenson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
ElSherif M, Halperin SA. Benefits of Combining Molecular Biology and Controlled Human Infection Model Methodologies in Advancing Vaccine Development. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168322. [PMID: 37866477 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases continue to account for a significant portion of global deaths despite the use of vaccines for several centuries. Immunization programs around the world are a testament to the great success of multiple vaccines, yet there are still diseases without vaccines and others that require safer more effective ones. Addressing uncontrolled and emerging disease threats is restrained by the limitations and bottlenecks encountered with traditional vaccine development paradigms. Recent advances in modern molecular biology technologies have enhanced the interrogation of host pathogen interaction and deciphered complex pathways, thereby uncovering the myriad interplay of biological events that generate immune protection against foreign agents. Consequent to insights into the immune system, modern biology has been instrumental in the development and production of next generation 21st century vaccines. As these biological tools, commonly and collectively referred to as 'omics, became readily available, there has been a renewed consideration of Controlled Human Infection Models (CHIMs). Successful and reproducible CHIMs can complement modern molecular biology for the study of infectious diseases and development of effective vaccines in a regulated process that mitigates risk, cost, and time, with capacity to discern immune correlates of protection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- May ElSherif
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology, IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
| | - Scott A Halperin
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology, IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Senok A, Thomsen J, Abdulrazzaq NM, Menezes GA, Ayoub Moubareck C, Everett D. Antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae: a retrospective analysis of emerging trends in the United Arab Emirates from 2010 to 2021. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1244357. [PMID: 38074724 PMCID: PMC10702210 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1244357] [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: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Although pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) have been effective in reducing the burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae infections, there is a paucity of data on the relationship with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends in the Arabian Gulf region. This study was carried out to assess S. pneumoniae resistance trends in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where PCV-13 vaccination was introduced in 2011. Methods Retrospective analysis of S. pneumoniae demographic and microbiological data collected as part of the national AMR surveillance program from 2010 to 2021 was carried out. A survey of reporting sites and hand searching of annual reports of local health authorities was carried out to identify data on S. pneumoniae serotypes as this is not included in the AMR surveillance database. Results From 2010 to 2021, 11,242 non-duplicate S. pneumoniae isolates were reported, increasing from 324 in 2010 to 1,115 in 2021. Factoring in annual increment in the number of surveillance sites, the number of isolates per site showed an upward trajectory from 2015 to 2018 and declined in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. The majority of isolates (n/N = 5,751/11,242; 51.2%) were from respiratory tract specimens with 44.5% (n/N = 2,557/5,751) being nasal colonizers. Up to 11.9% (n/N = 1,337/11,242) were invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) isolates obtained from sterile site specimens including blood (n = 1,262), cerebrospinal (n = 52), pleural (n = 19) and joint (n = 4) fluid; and were predominantly from pediatric patients. The downward trend for amoxicillin and for penicillin G at the non-meningitis and meningitis as well as oral penicillin breakpoints was statistically significant. In contrast, increasing trends of resistance were seen for levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and erythromycin. IPD and non-IPD isolates showed similar demographic and AMR trends. None of the surveillance sites carried out S. pneumoniae serotyping and handsearching of annual reports did not yield this information. Conclusion The increasing trend of pneumococcal disease and AMR with emergence of isolates with MDR phenotype despite is of concern. In the absence of S. pneumoniae serotyping the role of non-vaccine serotypes in driving this pattern remains unknown. There is an urgent need for serotype, genomic and AMR surveillance of S. pneumoniae isolates in the UAE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abiola Senok
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Jens Thomsen
- Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Najiba M. Abdulrazzaq
- Al Kuwait Hospital Dubai, Emirates Health Establishment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Public Health Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Godfred Antony Menezes
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Dean Everett
- Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Biotechnology Center, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Infection Research Unit, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Khalaf JK, Bess LS, Walsh LM, Ward JM, Johnson CL, Livesay MT, Jackson KJ, Evans JT, Ryter KT, Bazin-Lee HG. Diamino Allose Phosphates: Novel, Potent, and Highly Stable Toll-like Receptor 4 Agonists. J Med Chem 2023; 66:13900-13917. [PMID: 37847244 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Most known synthetic toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonists are carbohydrate-based lipid-A mimetics containing several fatty acyl chains, including a labile 3-O-acyl chain linked to the C-3 position of the non-reducing sugar known to undergo cleavage impacting stability and resulting in loss of activity. To overcome this inherent instability, we rationally designed a new class of chemically more stable synthetic TLR4 ligands that elicit robust innate and adaptive immune responses. This new class utilized a diamino allose phosphate (DAP) scaffold containing a nonhydrolyzable 3-amide bond instead of the classical 3-ester. Accordingly, the DAPs have significantly improved thermostability in aqueous formulations and potency relative to other known natural and synthetic TLR4 ligands. Furthermore, the DAP analogues function as potent vaccine adjuvants to enhance influenza-specific antibodies in mice and provide protection against lethal influenza virus challenges. This novel set of TLR4 ligands show promise as next-generation vaccine adjuvants and stand-alone immunomodulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juhienah K Khalaf
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Laura S Bess
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Lois M Walsh
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Janine M Ward
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Craig L Johnson
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Mark T Livesay
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Konner J Jackson
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Jay T Evans
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Kendal T Ryter
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| | - Hélène G Bazin-Lee
- Inimmune Corporation, 1121 E Broadway, Suite 121, Missoula, Montana 59802, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Lueckheide M, Marin A, Tagad HD, Posey ND, Prabhu VM, Andrianov AK. Monitoring Protein Complexation with Polyphosphazene Polyelectrolyte Using Automated Dynamic Light Scattering Titration and Asymmetric Flow Field Flow Fractionation and Protein Recognition Immunoassay. ACS POLYMERS AU 2023; 3:354-364. [PMID: 37841951 PMCID: PMC10571102 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.3c00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Polyphosphazenes represent a class of intrinsically flexible polyelectrolytes with potent immunoadjuvant activity, which is enabled through non-covalent self-assembly with antigenic proteins by charge complexation. The formation of supramolecular complexes between polyphosphazene adjuvant, poly[di(carboxylatophenoxy)phosphazene] (PCPP), and a model vaccine antigen, hen egg lysozyme, was studied under physiological conditions using automated dynamic light scattering titration, asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and fluorescent quenching methods. Three regimes of self-assembly were observed covering complexation of PCPP with lysozyme in the nano-scale range, multi-chain complexes, and larger aggregates with complexes characterized by a maximum loading of over six hundred protein molecules per PCPP chain and dissociation constant in the micromolar range (Kd = 7 × 10-6 mol/L). The antigenicity of PCPP bound lysozyme, when compared to equivalent lysozyme solutions, was largely retained for all complexes, but observed a dramatic reduction for heavily aggregated systems. Routes to control the complexation regimes with elevated NaCl or KCl salt concentrations indicate ion-specific effects, such that more smaller-size complexes are present at higher NaCl, counterintuitive with respect to PCPP solubility arguments. While the order of mixing shows a prominent effect at lower stoichiometries of mixing, higher NaCl salt reduces the effect all together.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lueckheide
- Materials
Science and Engineering Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Alexander Marin
- Institute
for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Harichandra D. Tagad
- Institute
for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Nicholas D. Posey
- Materials
Science and Engineering Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Vivek M. Prabhu
- Materials
Science and Engineering Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Alexander K. Andrianov
- Institute
for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Simoes EJ, Ramos LR. The Role of Healthy Diet and Lifestyle in Centenarians. Nutrients 2023; 15:4293. [PMID: 37836577 PMCID: PMC10574171 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Life expectancy at birth (hereafter, life expectancy) and longevity are established indicators of population health [...].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo J. Simoes
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics and Medical Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Luiz R. Ramos
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo 04024-002, Brazil;
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mwinnyaa G, Peters MA, Shapira G, Neill R, Sadat H, Yuma S, Akilimali P, Hossain S, Wendrad N, Atiwoto WK, Ofosu AA, Alfred JP, Kiarie H, Wesseh CS, Isokpunwu C, Kangbai DM, Mohamed AA, Sidibe K, Drouard S, Fernandez PA, Azais V, Hashemi T, Hansen PM, Ahmed T. Vaccination Utilization and Subnational Inequities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of Administrative Data across 12 Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1415. [PMID: 37766092 PMCID: PMC10536121 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091415] [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: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During and after the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries experienced declines in immunization that have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. This study uses routine health facility immunization data to estimate variability between and within countries in post-pandemic immunization service recovery for BCG, DPT1, and DPT3. METHODS After adjusting for data reporting completeness and outliers, interrupted time series regression was used to estimate the expected immunization service volume for each subnational unit, using an interruption point of March 2020. We assessed and compared the percent deviation of observed immunizations from the expected service volume for March 2020 between and within countries. RESULTS Six countries experienced significant service volume declines for at least one vaccine as of October 2022. The shortfall in BCG service volume was ~6% (95% CI -1.2%, -9.8%) in Guinea and ~19% (95% CI -16%, 22%) in Liberia. Significant cumulative shortfalls in DPT1 service volume are observed in Afghanistan (-4%, 95% CI -1%, -7%), Ghana (-3%, 95% CI -1%, -5%), Haiti (-7%, 95% CI -1%, -12%), and Kenya (-3%, 95% CI -1%, -4%). Afghanistan has the highest percentage of subnational units reporting a shortfall of 5% or higher in DPT1 service volume (85% in 2021 Q1 and 79% in 2020 Q4), followed by Bangladesh (2020 Q1, 83%), Haiti (80% in 2020 Q2), and Ghana (2022 Q2, 75%). All subnational units in Bangladesh experienced a 5% or higher shortfall in DPT3 service volume in the second quarter of 2020. In Haiti, 80% of the subnational units experienced a 5% or higher reduction in DPT3 service volume in the second quarter of 2020 and the third quarter of 2022. CONCLUSIONS At least one region in every country has a significantly lower-than-expected post-pandemic cumulative volume for at least one of the three vaccines. Subnational monitoring of immunization service volumes using disaggregated routine health facility information data should be conducted routinely to target the limited vaccination resources to subnational units with the highest inequities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George Mwinnyaa
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | | | - Gil Shapira
- The World Bank, Washington, DC 20433, USA (G.S.)
| | - Rachel Neill
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | - Husnia Sadat
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | - Sylvain Yuma
- Ministe’re de la Sante, Kinshasa 4310, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Pierre Akilimali
- Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 11850, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | | | | | | | - Jean Patrick Alfred
- Ministère de la Sante Publique et de la Population, Port-au-Prince HT6123, Haiti
| | - Helen Kiarie
- Ministry of Health, Nairobi P.O. Box 30016-00100, Kenya
| | | | | | | | | | - Kadidja Sidibe
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | | | | | - Viviane Azais
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | - Tawab Hashemi
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | - Peter M. Hansen
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| | - Tashrik Ahmed
- The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Washington, DC 1818, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Salalli R, Dange JR, Dhiman S, Sharma T. Vaccines development in India: advances, regulation, and challenges. Clin Exp Vaccine Res 2023; 12:193-208. [PMID: 37599804 PMCID: PMC10435768 DOI: 10.7774/cevr.2023.12.3.193] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most significant medical advancements in human history is the development of vaccines. Progress in vaccine development has always been greatly influenced by scientific human innovation. The main objective of vaccine development would be to acquire sufficient evidence of vaccine effectiveness, immunogenicity, safety, and/or quality to support requests for marketing approval. Vaccines are biological products that enhance the body's defenses against infectious diseases. From the first smallpox vaccine to the latest notable coronavirus disease 2019 nasal vaccine, India has come a long way. The development of numerous vaccines, driven by scientific innovation and advancement, combined with researcher's knowledge, has helped to reduce the global burden of disease and mortality rates. The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1945 and the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules of 2019 specify the requirements and guidelines for CMC (chemistry, manufacturing, and controls) for all manufactured and imported vaccines, including those against coronavirus infections. This article provides an overview of the regulation pertaining to the development process, registration, and approval procedures for vaccines, particularly in India, along with their brief history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rakshita Salalli
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Jyoti Ram Dange
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Sonia Dhiman
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| | - Teenu Sharma
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hao H, Wu S, Lin J, Zheng Z, Zhou Y, Zhang Y, Guo Q, Tian F, Zhao M, Chen Y, Xu X, Hou L, Wang X, Tang R. Immunization against Zika by entrapping live virus in a subcutaneous self-adjuvanting hydrogel. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:928-942. [PMID: 36959404 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01014-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
The threat of new viral outbreaks has heightened the need for ready-to-use vaccines that are safe and effective. Here we show that a subcutaneous vaccine consisting of live Zika virus electrostatically entrapped in a self-adjuvanting hydrogel recruited immune cells at the injection site and provided mice with effective protection against a lethal viral challenge. The hydrogel prevented the escape of the viral particles and upregulated pattern recognition receptors that activated innate antiviral immunity. The local inflammatory niche facilitated the engulfment of the virus by immune cells infiltrating the hydrogel, the processing and cross-presentation of antigens and the expansion of germinal centre B cells and induced robust antigen-specific adaptive responses and immune memory. Inflammatory immune niches entrapping live viruses may facilitate the rapid development of safe and efficacious vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Hao
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shipo Wu
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Jiake Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zitong Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuemin Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Fengchao Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengsu Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Chen
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Xurong Xu
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lihua Hou
- Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ruikang Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Albaqami FF, Altharawi A, Althurwi HN, Alharthy KM, Tahir ul Qamar M, Muhseen ZT, Iqbal M. Development of a Novel Vaccine Candidates against Cardiobacterium valvarum through Reverse Vaccinology and Computational Approaches. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 2023:6325568. [PMID: 37415928 PMCID: PMC10322295 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6325568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that has resulted in high healthcare costs, increased mortality, and the emergence of novel bacterial diseases. Cardiobacterium valvarum, an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, is one of the leading causes of heart disease. Currently, there is no licensed vaccination against C. valvarum. In this research, an in silico-based vaccine was designed against C. valvarum using reverse vaccinology, bioinformatics, and immunoinformatics techniques. 4206 core proteins, 2027 nonredundant proteins, and 2179 redundant proteins were predicted. Among nonredundant proteins, 23 proteins were predicted in an extracellular membrane, 30 in the outer membrane, and 62 in the periplasmic membrane region. After applying several subtractive proteomics filters, two proteins, TonB-dependent siderophore receptor and hypothetical protein, were chosen for epitope prediction. In the epitope selection phase, B and T-cellepitopes were analyzed and shortlisted for vaccine design. The vaccine model was designed by linking selected epitopes with GPGPG linkers to avoid flexibility. Furthermore, the vaccine model was linked to cholera toxin B adjuvant to induce a proper immune response. The docking approach was utilized to analyze binding affinity to immune cell receptors. Molecular docking results predicted 12.75 kcal/mol for a Vaccine with MHC-I, 6.89 for a vaccine with MHC-II, and 19.51 vaccine with TLR-4. The MMGBSA estimated -94, -78, and -76 kcal/mol for TLR-4 and vaccine, MHC-I and vaccine, and MHC-II and vaccine, while the MMPBSA analysis estimated -97, -61, and -72 kcal/mol for TLR-4 with the vaccine, MHC-I with vaccine, and MHC-II with a vaccine. Molecular dynamic simulation analysis revealed that the designed vaccine construct has proper stability with immune cell receptors as it is essential for inducing an immune response. In conclusion, we observed that the model vaccine candidate has the potency to induce an immune response in the host. However, the study is designed purely on a computational basis; hence, experimental validation is strongly recommended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Faisal F. Albaqami
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Altharawi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hassan N. Althurwi
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid M. Alharthy
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Ziyad Tariq Muhseen
- Department of Pharmacy, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Babylon 51001, Iraq
| | - Madiha Iqbal
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Fatima GN, Fatma H, Saraf SK. Vaccines in Breast Cancer: Challenges and Breakthroughs. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2175. [PMID: 37443570 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13132175] [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: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a problem for women's health globally. Early detection techniques come in a variety of forms ranging from local to systemic and from non-invasive to invasive. The treatment of cancer has always been challenging despite the availability of a wide range of therapeutics. This is either due to the variable behaviour and heterogeneity of the proliferating cells and/or the individual's response towards the treatment applied. However, advancements in cancer biology and scientific technology have changed the course of the cancer treatment approach. This current review briefly encompasses the diagnostics, the latest and most recent breakthrough strategies and challenges, and the limitations in fighting breast cancer, emphasising the development of breast cancer vaccines. It also includes the filed/granted patents referring to the same aspects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gul Naz Fatima
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Hera Fatma
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shailendra K Saraf
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Sánchez Ordóñez M, Bermejo Velasco PE, Rubio Moraga ÁL. [Evaluation of the Dunning Kruger effect in relation to vaccination: a study of messages on the social network LinkedIn.]. Rev Esp Salud Publica 2023; 97:e202306051. [PMID: 37325904 PMCID: PMC10541263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Dunning-Kruger effect refers to an excess of confidence regarding one's abilities and knowledge; trust leads to transmitting information in an assertive manner, regardless of its validity or veracity, of experts, but of great impact on public opinion. This study evaluated the existence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in messages related to vaccination against COVID-19 on LinkedIn. METHODS 448 messages were evaluated and the authors' knowledge and training on the subject were related. In the statistical treatment, the Chi-square test was performed to determine if there is a significant association between the variables, establishing the level of significance at P<0.05. These procedures were carried out using SPSS statistical software. RESULTS 448 messages were analyzed. Of these, 153 reflected very high certainty, 115 medium certainty, 107 low certainty and 73 reflected doubts. The group that issued the most messages with absolute certainty (41.8%) was the group with minimal knowledge about COVID-19. Of this group without knowledge on the subject, only 7.1% expressed messages without expressing certainty. The group with very high knowledge on the subject was more likely to reflect uncertainty, communicating 15.7% of the messages with absolute certainty and 37.1% with zero certainty. CONCLUSIONS It is obtained that those people with less knowledge express their messages more assertively and present less acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in their speeches. The presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in relation to COVID-19 vaccination is demonstrated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Sánchez Ordóñez
- Departamento de Periodismo y Comunicación Global, Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
| | - Pedro Emilio Bermejo Velasco
- Departamento de Neurología, Hospital universitario Puerta de HierroHospital universitario Puerta de HierroMadridSpain
| | - Ángel Luis Rubio Moraga
- Departamento de Periodismo y Comunicación Global, Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Yan X, Liu X, Zhao C, Chen GQ. Applications of synthetic biology in medical and pharmaceutical fields. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:199. [PMID: 37169742 PMCID: PMC10173249 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01440-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology aims to design or assemble existing bioparts or bio-components for useful bioproperties. During the past decades, progresses have been made to build delicate biocircuits, standardized biological building blocks and to develop various genomic/metabolic engineering tools and approaches. Medical and pharmaceutical demands have also pushed the development of synthetic biology, including integration of heterologous pathways into designer cells to efficiently produce medical agents, enhanced yields of natural products in cell growth media to equal or higher than that of the extracts from plants or fungi, constructions of novel genetic circuits for tumor targeting, controllable releases of therapeutic agents in response to specific biomarkers to fight diseases such as diabetes and cancers. Besides, new strategies are developed to treat complex immune diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders that are hard to cure via traditional approaches. In general, synthetic biology brings new capabilities to medical and pharmaceutical researches. This review summarizes the timeline of synthetic biology developments, the past and present of synthetic biology for microbial productions of pharmaceutics, engineered cells equipped with synthetic DNA circuits for diagnosis and therapies, live and auto-assemblied biomaterials for medical treatments, cell-free synthetic biology in medical and pharmaceutical fields, and DNA engineering approaches with potentials for biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yan
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Liu
- PhaBuilder Biotech Co. Ltd., Shunyi District, Zhaoquan Ying, 101309, Beijing, China
| | - Cuihuan Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
- MOE Key Lab for Industrial Biocatalysis, Dept Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Rando HM, Lordan R, Lee AJ, Naik A, Wellhausen N, Sell E, Kolla L, Gitter A, Greene CS. Application of Traditional Vaccine Development Strategies to SARS-CoV-2. mSystems 2023; 8:e0092722. [PMID: 36861991 PMCID: PMC10134813 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00927-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past 150 years, vaccines have revolutionized the relationship between people and disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technologies such as mRNA vaccines have received attention due to their novelty and successes. However, more traditional vaccine development platforms have also yielded important tools in the worldwide fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A variety of approaches have been used to develop COVID-19 vaccines that are now authorized for use in countries around the world. In this review, we highlight strategies that focus on the viral capsid and outwards, rather than on the nucleic acids inside. These approaches fall into two broad categories: whole-virus vaccines and subunit vaccines. Whole-virus vaccines use the virus itself, in either an inactivated or an attenuated state. Subunit vaccines contain instead an isolated, immunogenic component of the virus. Here, we highlight vaccine candidates that apply these approaches against SARS-CoV-2 in different ways. In a companion article (H. M. Rando, R. Lordan, L. Kolla, E. Sell, et al., mSystems 8:e00928-22, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00928-22), we review the more recent and novel development of nucleic acid-based vaccine technologies. We further consider the role that these COVID-19 vaccine development programs have played in prophylaxis at the global scale. Well-established vaccine technologies have proved especially important to making vaccines accessible in low- and middle-income countries. Vaccine development programs that use established platforms have been undertaken in a much wider range of countries than those using nucleic acid-based technologies, which have been led by wealthy Western countries. Therefore, these vaccine platforms, though less novel from a biotechnological standpoint, have proven to be extremely important to the management of SARS-CoV-2. IMPORTANCE The development, production, and distribution of vaccines is imperative to saving lives, preventing illness, and reducing the economic and social burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines that use cutting-edge biotechnology have played an important role in mitigating the effects of SARS-CoV-2. However, more traditional methods of vaccine development that were refined throughout the 20th century have been especially critical to increasing vaccine access worldwide. Effective deployment is necessary to reducing the susceptibility of the world's population, which is especially important in light of emerging variants. In this review, we discuss the safety, immunogenicity, and distribution of vaccines developed using established technologies. In a separate review, we describe the vaccines developed using nucleic acid-based vaccine platforms. From the current literature, it is clear that the well-established vaccine technologies are also highly effective against SARS-CoV-2 and are being used to address the challenges of COVID-19 globally, including in low- and middle-income countries. This worldwide approach is critical for reducing the devastating impact of SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Halie M. Rando
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Ronan Lordan
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Alexandra J. Lee
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Amruta Naik
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nils Wellhausen
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Elizabeth Sell
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Likhitha Kolla
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - COVID-19 Review Consortium
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Childhood Cancer Data Lab, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anthony Gitter
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Casey S. Greene
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Childhood Cancer Data Lab, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Tapia D, Reyes-Sandoval A, Sanchez-Villamil JI. Protein-based Nanoparticle Vaccine Approaches Against Infectious Diseases. Arch Med Res 2023; 54:168-175. [PMID: 36894463 DOI: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
The field of vaccine development has seen an increase in the number of rationally designed technologies that increase effectiveness against vaccine-resistant pathogens, while not compromising safety. Yet, there is still an urgent need to expand and further understand these platforms against complex pathogens that often evade protective responses. Nanoscale platforms have been at the center of new studies, especially in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with the aim of deploying safe and effective vaccines in a short time period. The intrinsic properties of protein-based nanoparticles, such as biocompatibility, flexible physicochemical characteristics, and variety have made them an attractive platform against different infectious disease agents. In the past decade, several studies have tested both lumazine synthase-, ferritin-, and albumin-based nanoplatforms against a wide range of complex pathogens in pre-clinical studies. Owed to their success in pre-clinical studies, several studies are undergoing human clinical trials or are near an initial phase. In this review we highlight the different protein-based platforms, mechanisms of synthesis, and effectiveness of these over the past decade. In addition, some challenges, and future directions to increase their effectiveness are also highlighted. Taken together, protein-based nanoscaffolds have proven to be an effective means to design rationally designed vaccines, especially against complex pathogens and emerging infectious diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Tapia
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Arturo Reyes-Sandoval
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio Nacional de Vacunología y Virus Tropicales, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Javier I Sanchez-Villamil
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Unidad Morelos, Atlacholoaya, Morelos, México.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Costanzo V, Roviello GN. The Potential Role of Vaccines in Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): An Update and Future Perspectives. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020333. [PMID: 36851210 PMCID: PMC9962013 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In the modern era, the consumption of antibiotics represents a revolutionary weapon against several infectious diseases, contributing to the saving of millions of lives worldwide. However, the misuse of antibiotics for human and animal purposes has fueled the process of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), considered now a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), which significantly increases the mortality risk and related medical costs linked to the management of bacterial diseases. The current research aiming at developing novel efficient antibiotics is very challenging, and just a few candidates have been identified so far due to the difficulties connected with AMR. Therefore, novel therapeutic or prophylactic strategies to fight AMR are urgently needed. In this scenario, vaccines constitute a promising approach that proves to be crucial in preventing pathogen spreading in primary infections and in minimizing the usage of antibiotics following secondary bacterial infections. Unfortunately, most of the vaccines developed against the main resistant pathogens are still under preclinical and clinical evaluation due to the complexity of pathogens and technical difficulties. In this review, we describe not only the main causes of AMR and the role of vaccines in reducing the burden of infectious diseases, but we also report on specific prophylactic advancements against some of the main pathogens, focusing on new strategies that aim at improving vaccine efficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Costanzo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: (V.C.); (G.N.R.)
| | - Giovanni N. Roviello
- Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Area di Ricerca site and Headquartes, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Correspondence: (V.C.); (G.N.R.)
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Rando HM, Lordan R, Lee AJ, Naik A, Wellhausen N, Sell E, Kolla L, Gitter A, Greene CS. Application of Traditional Vaccine Development Strategies to SARS-CoV-2. ARXIV 2023:2208.08907. [PMID: 36034485 PMCID: PMC9413721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 150 years, vaccines have revolutionized the relationship between people and disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technologies such as mRNA vaccines have received attention due to their novelty and successes. However, more traditional vaccine development platforms have also yielded important tools in the worldwide fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A variety of approaches have been used to develop COVID-19 vaccines that are now authorized for use in countries around the world. In this review, we highlight strategies that focus on the viral capsid and outwards, rather than on the nucleic acids inside. These approaches fall into two broad categories: whole-virus vaccines and subunit vaccines. Whole-virus vaccines use the virus itself, either in an inactivated or attenuated state. Subunit vaccines contain instead an isolated, immunogenic component of the virus. Here, we highlight vaccine candidates that apply these approaches against SARS-CoV-2 in different ways. In a companion manuscript, we review the more recent and novel development of nucleic-acid based vaccine technologies. We further consider the role that these COVID-19 vaccine development programs have played in prophylaxis at the global scale. Well-established vaccine technologies have proved especially important to making vaccines accessible in low- and middle-income countries. Vaccine development programs that use established platforms have been undertaken in a much wider range of countries than those using nucleic-acid-based technologies, which have been led by wealthy Western countries. Therefore, these vaccine platforms, though less novel from a biotechnological standpoint, have proven to be extremely important to the management of SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Halie M Rando
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America; Center for Health AI, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America; Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America · Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF 4552); the National Human Genome Research Institute (R01 HG010067)
| | - Ronan Lordan
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5158, USA; Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alexandra J Lee
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF 4552)
| | - Amruta Naik
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Nils Wellhausen
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Sell
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Likhitha Kolla
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America · Funded by NIH Medical Scientist Training Program T32 GM07170
| | | | - Anthony Gitter
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America; Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America · Funded by John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Center for Research in Virology
| | - Casey S Greene
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Childhood Cancer Data Lab, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America; Center for Health AI, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America; Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America · Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF 4552); the National Human Genome Research Institute (R01 HG010067)
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Yamoah P, Mensah KB, Attakorah J, Padayachee N, Oosthuizen F, Bangalee V. Adverse events following immunization associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines: A descriptive analysis from VigiAccess. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2109365. [PMID: 35947052 PMCID: PMC9897635 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2109365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study assessed adverse events following immunizations (AEFIs) reported on COVID-19 vaccines in VigiAccess and determined the reporting trends across all continents of the world. The study was cross-sectional quantitative in design. VigiAccess was searched on 10 November 10 2021 for reported adverse events following the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines. After entering the search term, "COVID-19 vaccines" in VigiAccess, AEFIs associated with nine approved brands of COVID-19 vaccines had been documented in the database. Data were captured among age groups, sex, and continents of the world and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Overall, 2,457,386 AEFIs had been reported in VigiAccess at the time of the search. No causal associations could be established between the vaccines and the AEFIs. The public accessing VigiAccess data should therefore be made aware of this in order to not falsely attribute AEFIs to COVID-19 vaccines when assessing the database.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Yamoah
- School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana,College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa,CONTACT Peter Yamoah School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, HoPMB 31, Ghana
| | - Kofi Boamah Mensah
- College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa,Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Joseph Attakorah
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Neelaveni Padayachee
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Frasia Oosthuizen
- College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Varsha Bangalee
- College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Malburet C, Leclercq L, Cotte JF, Thiebaud J, Bazin E, Garinot M, Cottet H. Taylor Dispersion Analysis to support lipid-nanoparticle formulations for mRNA vaccines. Gene Ther 2022; 30:421-428. [PMID: 36316446 PMCID: PMC9628342 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-022-00370-1] [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: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently the most advanced non-viral clinically approved messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) delivery systems. The ability of a mRNA vaccine to have a therapeutic effect is related to the capacity of LNPs to deliver the nucleic acid intact into cells. The role of LNPs is to protect mRNA, especially from degradation by ribonucleases (RNases) and to allow it to access the cytoplasm of cells where it can be translated into the protein of interest. LNPs enter cells by endocytosis and their size is a critical parameter impacting their cellular internalization. In this work, we studied different formulation process parameters impacting LNPs size. Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) was used to determine the LNPs size and size distribution and the results were compared with those obtained by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). TDA was also used to study both the degradation of mRNA in the presence of RNases and the percentage of mRNA encapsulation within LNPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Malburet
- grid.462008.8IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France ,grid.417924.dSanofi Pasteur, 1541 avenue Marcel Mérieux, 69280 Marcy l’Etoile, France
| | - Laurent Leclercq
- grid.462008.8IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-François Cotte
- grid.417924.dSanofi Pasteur, 1541 avenue Marcel Mérieux, 69280 Marcy l’Etoile, France
| | - Jérôme Thiebaud
- grid.417924.dSanofi Pasteur, 1541 avenue Marcel Mérieux, 69280 Marcy l’Etoile, France
| | - Emilie Bazin
- grid.417924.dSanofi Pasteur, 1541 avenue Marcel Mérieux, 69280 Marcy l’Etoile, France
| | - Marie Garinot
- grid.417924.dSanofi Pasteur, 1541 avenue Marcel Mérieux, 69280 Marcy l’Etoile, France
| | - Hervé Cottet
- grid.462008.8IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Calabrò GE, Rumi F, Fallani E, Ricciardi R, Cicchetti A. The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Workers in Italy. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101707. [PMID: 36298572 PMCID: PMC9609125 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza has a significant impact on the health care system and also on production and economic systems. Vaccinated health care workers (HCWs) are more likely to have improved productivity compared to unvaccinated workers. The study aim was to estimate the economic and fiscal impact of an influenza vaccination program for HCWs in Italy. We performed a cost analysis aimed to estimate the indirect costs (productivity losses due to working days lost) and the increase in tax revenues derived from the increase in vaccination coverage among HCWs. Assuming an incremental increase in vaccination coverage of 10% per year over a period of 5 years, total savings could be obtained in terms of a reduction in productivity losses equal to −€4,475,497.16 and an increase in tax revenues of €327,158.84. This revenue could be used to finance other health interventions. Our results are fundamental in view of the sustainability of health systems and of a value-based allocation of health resources. Therefore, a complete social perspective, including the fiscal impact of flu vaccination, should be adopted to assess the economic value of influenza vaccines. Currently, health policies based on the whole value of flu vaccination are needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Elisa Calabrò
- Section of Hygiene, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, L.go F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
- VIHTALI (Value in Health Technology and Academy for Leadership & Innovation), Spin-Off of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Filippo Rumi
- Graduate School of Health Economics and Management (ALTEMS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Elettra Fallani
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Seqirus S.r.l., 53035 Monteriggioni, Italy
| | - Roberto Ricciardi
- VIHTALI (Value in Health Technology and Academy for Leadership & Innovation), Spin-Off of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Americo Cicchetti
- Graduate School of Health Economics and Management (ALTEMS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Amoako-Sakyi D, Obiri-Yeboah D, Ofosu A, Kusi KA, Osei K, Adade R, Aniakwaa-Bonsu E, Quansah R, Arko-Mensah J, Amoah BY, Kwakye-Nuako G, Frimpong EY, Combasseré-Cherif M, Mohammed H, Maiga B, Fobil J, Quakyi I, Gyan BA. Preponderance of vaccine-preventable diseases hotspots in northern Ghana: a spatial and space-time clustering analysis from 2010 to 2014. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1899. [PMID: 36224589 PMCID: PMC9555261 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14307-1] [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: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) persist globally with a disproportionately high burden in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Although this might be partly due to the failure to sustain vaccination coverage above 90% in some WHO regions, a more nuanced understanding of VPD transmission beyond vaccination coverage may unveil other important factors in VPD transmission and control. This study identified VPDs hotspots and explored their relationships with ecology, urbanicity and land-use variations (Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities) in Ghana. METHODS District-level disease count data from 2010 to 2014 from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and population data from the Ghana Population and Housing Census (PHC) were used to determine clustering patterns of six VPDs (Measles, Meningitis, Mumps, Otitis media, Pneumonia and Tetanus). Spatial and space-time cluster analyses were implemented in SaTScan using the discrete Poisson model. P-values were estimated using a combination of sequential Monte Carlo, standard Monte Carlo, and Gumbel approximations. RESULTS The study found a preponderance for VPD hotspots in the northern parts of Ghana and northernmost ecological zones (Sudan Savannah and Guinea Savannah). Incidence of meningitis was higher in the Sudan Savannah ecological zone relative to: Tropical Rain Forest (p = 0.001); Semi Deciduous Forest (p < 0.0001); Transitional Zone (p < 0.0001); Coastal Savannah (p < 0.0001) and Guinea Savannah (p = 0.033). Except for mumps, which recorded a higher incidence in urban districts (p = 0.045), incidence of the other five VPDs did not differ across the urban-rural divide. Whereas spatial analysis suggested that some VPD hotspots (tetanus and otitis media) occur more frequently in mining districts in the southern part of the country, a Mann-Whitney U test revealed a higher incidence of meningitis in non-mining districts (p = 0.019). Pneumonia and meningitis recorded the highest (722.8 per 100,000) and least (0.8 per 100,000) incidence rates respectively during the study period. CONCLUSION This study shows a preponderance of VPD hotspots in the northern parts of Ghana and in semi-arid ecoclimates. The relationship between ASGM activities and VPD transmission in Ghana remains blurred and requires further studies with better spatial resolution to clarify.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Amoako-Sakyi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
| | - Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Anthony Ofosu
- Centre for Health Information Management, Ghana Health Services, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi
- Immunology Department, College of Health Sciences, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kingsley Osei
- Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, College of Humanities in Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Richard Adade
- Centre for Coastal Managenment, University of Cape Coast., Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Ebenezer Aniakwaa-Bonsu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Reginald Quansah
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - John Arko-Mensah
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Brodrick Yeboah Amoah
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Godwin Kwakye-Nuako
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast., Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Eric Yaw Frimpong
- Office of Population Health and Evaluation, New York State Office of Mental Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Mariama Combasseré-Cherif
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Techniques, Université Nazi, Bobo- Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso
| | - Hidaya Mohammed
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Boubacar Maiga
- University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako (USTT-B), Bamako, Mali
| | - Julius Fobil
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Isabella Quakyi
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Ben A Gyan
- Immunology Department, College of Health Sciences, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Calabrò GE, D’Ambrosio F, Fallani E, Ricciardi W. Influenza Vaccination Assessment according to a Value-Based Health Care Approach. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101675. [PMID: 36298540 PMCID: PMC9612276 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101675] [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: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Seasonal influenza has a considerable public health impact, and vaccination is the key to preventing its consequences. Our aim was to describe how the value of influenza vaccination is addressed in the scientific literature considering a new value framework based on four pillars (personal, allocative, technical, and societal value). Methods: A systematic review was conducted by querying three databases. The analysis was performed on international studies focused on influenza vaccination value, and the four value pillars were taken into consideration for their description. Results: Overall, 40 studies were considered. Most of them focused on influenza vaccination in the general population (27.5%), emphasizing its value for all age groups. Most studies addressed technical value (70.4%), especially in terms of economic models and cost drivers to be considered for the economic evaluations of influenza vaccines, and societal value (63%), whereas few dealt with personal (37%) and allocative values (22.2%). Conclusions: The whole value of influenza vaccination is still not completely recognized. Knowledge and communication of the whole value of influenza vaccination is essential to guide value-based health policies. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to implement initiatives that involve all relevant stakeholders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Elisa Calabrò
- Section of Hygiene, University Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- VIHTALI (Value in Health Technology and Academy for Leadership & Innovation), Spinoff of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Floriana D’Ambrosio
- Section of Hygiene, University Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Elettra Fallani
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Seqirus S.R.L., Via del Pozzo 3/A, San Martino, 53035 Monteriggioni, Italy
| | - Walter Ricciardi
- Section of Hygiene, University Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Options for Covid-19 Vaccines in Bulgaria – Acceptance and Hesitance. ACTA MEDICA BULGARICA 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/amb-2022-0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take thousands of lives every day. Vaccine prophylaxis has been shown to be highly effective in both controlling and eradicating a number of communicable diseases, in particular COVID-19, as well as in preventing hospitalization and death. Globally, the level of vaccination varies widely. The aim of the present study was to study the attitude to vaccination against COVID-19 among the adult population in the Republic of Bulgaria. An online-based survey was performed to gather information on the attitudes of the population regarding the use of COVID-19 vaccines and the reasons for refusal. The survey includes 662 respondents from all over Bulgaria and covers the period from October 12, 2021 to October 22, 2021.
Collapse
|
30
|
CALABRÒ GIOVANNAELISA, ICARDI GIANCARLO, BONANNI PAOLO, GABUTTI GIOVANNI, VITALE FRANCESCO, RIZZO CATERINA, CICCHETTI AMERICO, STAIANO ANNAMARIA, ANSALDI FILIPPO, ORSI ANDREA, DE WAURE CHIARA, PANATTO DONATELLA, AMICIZIA DANIELA, BERT FABRIZIO, VILLANI ALBERTO, IERACI ROBERTO, CONVERSANO MICHELE, RUSSO CARMELA, RUMI FILIPPO, SCOTTI SILVESTRO, MAIO TOMMASA, RUSSO ROCCO, VACCARO CONCETTAMARIA, SILIQUINI ROBERTA, RICCIARDI WALTER. [Flu vaccination and value-based health care: operational solutions to safeguard public health]. JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND HYGIENE 2022; 63:E1-E85. [PMID: 36310765 PMCID: PMC9586154 DOI: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2s2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- GIOVANNA ELISA CALABRÒ
- Sezione di Igiene, Dipartimento Universitario di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma
- VIHTALI - Value In Health Technology and Academy for Leadership & Innovation, Spin-Off dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma
- Autore corrispondente: Giovanna Elisa Calabrò, Sezione di Igiene, Dipartimento Universitario di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italia - E-mail:
| | - GIANCARLO ICARDI
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova
- U.O. Igiene, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova
| | - PAOLO BONANNI
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute (DSS), Università di Firenze
| | - GIOVANNI GABUTTI
- Coordinatore Nazionale GdL Vaccini e Politiche Vaccinali della SItI
| | - FRANCESCO VITALE
- Dipartimento Promozione della Salute, Materno-Infantile, di Medicina Interna e Specialistica di Eccellenza “G. D’Alessandro”, Università degli Studi di Palermo
| | - CATERINA RIZZO
- Dipartimento di ricerca traslazionale e nuove tecnologie in medicina e chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Pisa
| | - AMERICO CICCHETTI
- Alta Scuola di Economia e Management dei Sistemi Sanitari (ALTEMS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma
| | - ANNAMARIA STAIANO
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali, Università degli Studi “Federico II”, Napoli
- Presidente Società Italiana di Pediatria (SIP)
| | - FILIPPO ANSALDI
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova
- A.Li.Sa. Azienda Ligure Sanitaria Regione Liguria
| | - ANDREA ORSI
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova
- U.O. Igiene, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova
| | - CHIARA DE WAURE
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Perugia
| | - DONATELLA PANATTO
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova
| | - DANIELA AMICIZIA
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova
- A.Li.Sa. Azienda Ligure Sanitaria Regione Liguria
| | - FABRIZIO BERT
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Sanità Pubblica e Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Torino
- SSDU Igiene Ospedaliera e Governo delle Infezioni Correlate all’Assistenza, ASL TO3
| | - ALBERTO VILLANI
- Dipartimento Emergenza Accettazione Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Roma
- Dipartimento di Medicina dei Sistemi, Università di Roma Tor Vergata
| | - ROBERTO IERACI
- Strategie vaccinali, Regione Lazio
- Ricercatore associato CID Ethics-CNR
| | | | - CARMELA RUSSO
- U.O.S.V.D. Epidemiologia - Comunicazione e Formazione Coordinamento delle Attività di Promozione della Salute e di Educazione Sanitaria, ASL Taranto
| | - FILIPPO RUMI
- Alta Scuola di Economia e Management dei Sistemi Sanitari (ALTEMS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma
| | | | - TOMMASA MAIO
- Federazione Italiana Medici di Medicina Generale (FIMMG)
| | - ROCCO RUSSO
- Coordinatore tavolo tecnico vaccinazioni, Società Italiana di Pediatria (SIP)
| | | | - ROBERTA SILIQUINI
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Sanità Pubblica e Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Torino
- AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino
| | - WALTER RICCIARDI
- Sezione di Igiene, Dipartimento Universitario di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Nazeam JA, Singab ANB. Immunostimulant plant proteins: Potential candidates as vaccine adjuvants. Phytother Res 2022; 36:4345-4360. [PMID: 36128599 PMCID: PMC9538006 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7624] [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: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up global scientific structures toward addressing antibiotic resistance threats and indicates an urgent need to develop more cost-effective vaccines. Vaccine adjuvants play a crucial role in boosting immunogenicity and improving vaccine efficacy. The toxicity and adversity of most adjuvant formulations are the major human immunization problems, especially in routine pediatric and immunocompromised patients. The present review focused on preclinical studies of immunoadjuvant plant proteins in use with antiparasitic, antifungal, and antiviral vaccines. Moreover, this report outlines the current perspective of immunostimulant plant protein candidates that can be used by researchers in developing new generations of vaccine-adjuvants. Future clinical studies are required to substantiate the plant proteins' safety and applicability as a vaccine adjuvant in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jilan A. Nazeam
- Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of PharmacyOctober 6 UniversityGizaEgypt
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
"Hot Topics in Practice" Webinars: Best Practices for Public Health Webinar Development. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2022; 28:S232-S239. [PMID: 35867493 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Online education is well researched in some professions; yet, little evidence exists regarding related quality standards for public health practice-particularly with regard to popular webinar offerings. Our objective was to identify and disseminate best practices in public health webinar development for use in development of high-quality, timely webinars for public health practice. PROGRAM We assessed data from the Hot Topics in Practice monthly webinar series that included public health professionals primarily from US Northwest states as regular webinar participants. IMPLEMENTATION We conducted a secondary analysis, using participant evaluation data from 9 years of online questionnaires. Subsequent recommendations were developed using participants' responses to postwebinar questionnaires. Thematic analysis of qualitative quarterly reports, as well as 12 years of webinar production team knowledge, supplemented development of best practice recommendations that were not recognized through secondary analysis of respondent questionnaires alone. EVALUATION Participant responses tended to be positive when specific practices were followed. These best practices were identified as follows: Address timely topics on current events; Feature only 1 to 2 speakers; Use a limited number of consistently formatted slides; Stay on schedule and make time for audience questions; Minimize technical difficulties; Use effective storytelling to share lessons and key data; Intentionally foster audience engagement (eg, through audience polling, question and answer); Develop clear learning objectives; Provide appropriate resources for continued learning; and Consider audience feedback for continuous improvements. DISCUSSION Our team identified essential elements for creating high-quality, engaging webinars for public health learning. Best practice recommendations resulting from this study address gaps in quality standards and provide knowledge needed for making effective learning accessible to public health practice and supportive of advancing the field. Findings were synthesized into a practice guide, And We're Live: Creating Engaging Public Health Webinars , to aid public health learning.
Collapse
|
33
|
Sycheva AL, Komech EA, Pogorelyy MV, Minervina AA, Urazbakhtin SZ, Salnikova MA, Vorovitch MF, Kopantzev EP, Zvyagin IV, Komkov AY, Mamedov IZ, Lebedev YB. Inactivated tick-borne encephalitis vaccine elicits several overlapping waves of T cell response. Front Immunol 2022; 13:970285. [PMID: 36091004 PMCID: PMC9449805 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.970285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The development and implementation of vaccines have been growing exponentially, remaining one of the major successes of healthcare over the last century. Nowadays, active regular immunizations prevent epidemics of many viral diseases, including tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Along with the generation of virus-specific antibodies, a highly effective vaccine should induce T cell responses providing long-term immune defense. In this study, we performed longitudinal high-throughput T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing to characterize changes in individual T cell repertoires of 11 donors immunized with an inactivated TBE vaccine. After two-step immunization, we found significant clonal expansion of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, ranging from 302 to 1706 vaccine-associated TCRβ clonotypes in different donors. We detected several waves of T cell clonal expansion generated by distinct groups of vaccine-responding clones. Both CD4+ and CD8+ vaccine-responding T cell clones formed 17 motifs in TCRβ sequences shared by donors with identical HLA alleles. Our results indicate that TBE vaccination leads to a robust T cell response due to the production of a variety of T cell clones with a memory phenotype, which recognize a large set of epitopes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia L. Sycheva
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Anastasiia L. Sycheva, ; Yuri B. Lebedev,
| | - Ekaterina A. Komech
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Molecular Technologies, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail V. Pogorelyy
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Anastasia A. Minervina
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Shamil Z. Urazbakhtin
- Computational Systems Biochemistry Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Maria A. Salnikova
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail F. Vorovitch
- Laboratory of Tick-Borne Encephalitis and Other Encephalitis, Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products of RAS (FSASI “Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS”), Moscow, Russia
- Department of Organization and Technology of Production of Immune-and-Biological Products, Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Eugene P. Kopantzev
- Department of Genomics and Postgenomic Technologies, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan V. Zvyagin
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Molecular Technologies, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Y. Komkov
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, Dmitry Rogachev National Medical and Research Centre of Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilgar Z. Mamedov
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuri B. Lebedev
- Department of Genomics of Adaptive Immunity, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Molecular Technologies, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Anastasiia L. Sycheva, ; Yuri B. Lebedev,
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Saadh MJ, Lafi FF, Dahadha AA, Albannan MS. Immunogenicity of a newly developed vaccine against Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin in rabbits and cattle. Vet World 2022; 15:1617-1623. [PMID: 36185515 PMCID: PMC9394151 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1617-1623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim: Clostridium perfringens type A is an anaerobic bacterium that produces four major toxins (alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota) that cause various diseases. Most of the important C. perfringens-associated diseases of farm animals are caused by alpha-toxin. This study aimed to produce a vaccine against alpha-toxin using C. perfringens type A (ATCC 13124) and investigate its potency, stability, and safety.
Materials and Methods: The vaccine was formulated of its constituents for 1 h. Each milliliter of the final vaccine product contained alpha toxoid 15 lecithovitellinase activity (Lv) by adding (0.375 mL containing 40 Lv) and approximately 0.2 mL from 3% concentrated aluminum hydroxide gel, <0.001% W/V thiomersal, <0.05% W/V formaldehyde, and nearly 0.425 mL phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.2). The vaccine efficacy was evaluated in rabbits and cattle by performing potency, stability, and safety tests.
Results: The vaccine produced approximately 8.8 and 4.9 IU/mL neutralizing antibodies in rabbits and cattle, respectively. These concentrations were higher than the lowest concentration recommended by various international protocols and the United States Department of Agriculture by 2.20-fold in rabbits and 1.23-fold in cattle. Interestingly, the formulated vaccine enhanced immune responses by 1.80-fold in rabbits compared with that in cattle; the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The vaccine was stable for 30 months. In vaccinated rabbits, the body temperature slightly increased temporarily during the first 10 h of vaccination; however, the temperature difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: This study describes a manufacturing process to obtain sufficient amounts of a vaccine against C. perfringens alpha-toxin. The formulated vaccine effectively elicited a higher level of neutralizing antibody response than the international standards. Furthermore, the vaccine was found to be stable, safe, and effective in preventing C. perfringens-related diseases in rabbits and cattle. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of this vaccine in other farm animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed J. Saadh
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Feras F. Lafi
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Adnan A. Dahadha
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Philadelphia University, Jordan
| | - Mohamed S. Albannan
- Department of Research and development, Biotechnology Research Center, 23 July St., Industrial Zone, New Damietta, 34517, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Tulloch AIT, Oh RRY, Gallegos D. Environmental and public health co-benefits of consumer switches to immunity-supporting food. AMBIO 2022; 51:1658-1672. [PMID: 35076882 PMCID: PMC8787970 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01693-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
During COVID-19, there has been a surge in public interest for information on immunity-boosting foods. There is little scientific support for immunity-supporting properties of specific foods, but strong evidence for food choice impacts on other health outcomes (e.g. risk of non-communicable disease) and environmental sustainability. Here, we relate online recommendations for "immunity-boosting" foods across five continents to their environmental and human health impacts. More frequently recommended food items and groups are plant based and have lower land use and greenhouse gas emission impacts plus more positive health outcomes (reducing relative risks of mortality or chronic diet-related diseases) per serving of food. We identify trade-offs between environmental outcomes of increasing consumption of recommended food items, with aquatic environment impacts increasing with food recommendation frequency. People's reliance on the Internet for health information creates an opportunity to consolidate behaviour change towards consuming foods with multiple co-benefits. Our study identifies win-win options for nudging online information-seeking behaviour towards more sustainable choices for terrestrial biodiversity conservation and human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha I. T. Tulloch
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia
| | - Rachel R. Y. Oh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Danielle Gallegos
- Faculty of Health, Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4101 Australia
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
La Marca AF, Lopes RDS, Lotufo ADP, Bartholomeu DC, Minussi CR. BepFAMN: A Method for Linear B-Cell Epitope Predictions Based on Fuzzy-ARTMAP Artificial Neural Network. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22114027. [PMID: 35684648 PMCID: PMC9185646 DOI: 10.3390/s22114027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The public health system is extremely dependent on the use of vaccines to immunize the population from a series of infectious and dangerous diseases, preventing the system from collapsing and millions of people dying every year. However, to develop these vaccines and effectively monitor these diseases, it is necessary to use accurate diagnostic methods capable of identifying highly immunogenic regions within a given pathogenic protein. Existing experimental methods are expensive, time-consuming, and require arduous laboratory work, as they require the screening of a large number of potential candidate epitopes, making the methods extremely laborious, especially for application to larger microorganisms. In the last decades, researchers have developed in silico prediction methods, based on machine learning, to identify these markers, to drastically reduce the list of potential candidate epitopes for experimental tests, and, consequently, to reduce the laborious task associated with their mapping. Despite these efforts, the tools and methods still have low accuracy, slow diagnosis, and offline training. Thus, we develop a method to predict B-cell linear epitopes which are based on a Fuzzy-ARTMAP neural network architecture, called BepFAMN (B Epitope Prediction Fuzzy ARTMAP Artificial Neural Network). This was trained using a linear averaging scheme on 15 properties that include an amino acid ratio scale and a set of 14 physicochemical scales. The database used was obtained from the IEDB website, from which the amino acid sequences with the annotations of their positive and negative epitopes were taken. To train and validate the knowledge models, five-fold cross-validation and competition techniques were used. The BepiPred-2.0 database, an independent database, was used for the tests. In our experiment, the validation dataset reached sensitivity = 91.50%, specificity = 91.49%, accuracy = 91.49%, MCC = 0.83, and an area under the curve (AUC) ROC of approximately 0.9289. The result in the testing dataset achieves a significant improvement, with sensitivity = 81.87%, specificity = 74.75%, accuracy = 78.27%, MCC = 0.56, and AOC = 0.7831. These achieved values demonstrate that BepFAMN outperforms all other linear B-cell epitope prediction tools currently used. In addition, the architecture provides mechanisms for online training, which allow the user to find a new B-cell linear epitope, and to improve the model without need to re-train itself with the whole dataset. This fact contributes to a considerable reduction in the number of potential linear epitopes to be experimentally validated, reducing laboratory time and accelerating the development of diagnostic tests, vaccines, and immunotherapeutic approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony F. La Marca
- Electrical Engineering Department, UNESP—São Paulo State University, Av. Brasil 56, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, Brazil; (A.F.L.M.); (A.D.P.L.)
| | - Robson da S. Lopes
- Computer Science Course, UFMT—Mato Grosso Federal University, Av. Valdon Varjão, 6390 Setor Industrial, Barra do Garças 78605-091, Brazil;
| | - Anna Diva P. Lotufo
- Electrical Engineering Department, UNESP—São Paulo State University, Av. Brasil 56, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, Brazil; (A.F.L.M.); (A.D.P.L.)
| | - Daniella C. Bartholomeu
- Parasite Immunology and Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Minas Gerais Federal University, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil;
| | - Carlos R. Minussi
- Electrical Engineering Department, UNESP—São Paulo State University, Av. Brasil 56, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, Brazil; (A.F.L.M.); (A.D.P.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-1837431225
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Chapman TJ, Pham M, Bajorski P, Pichichero ME. Antibiotic Use and Vaccine Antibody Levels. Pediatrics 2022; 149:186888. [PMID: 35474546 PMCID: PMC9648114 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-052061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of children are prescribed antibiotics in the first 2 years of life while vaccine-induced immunity develops. Researchers have suggested a negative association of antibiotic use with vaccine-induced immunity in adults, but data are lacking in children. METHODS From 2006 to 2016, children aged 6 to 24 months were observed in a cohort study. A retrospective, unplanned secondary analysis of the medical record regarding antibiotic prescriptions and vaccine antibody measurements was undertaken concurrently. Antibody measurements relative to diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP), inactivated polio (IPV), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) vaccines were made. RESULTS In total, 560 children were compared (342 with and 218 without antibiotic prescriptions). Vaccine-induced antibody levels to several DTaP and PCV antigens were lower (P < .05) in children given antibiotics. A higher frequency of vaccine-induced antibodies below protective levels in children given antibiotics occurred at 9 and 12 months of age (P < .05). Antibiotic courses over time was negatively associated with vaccine-induced antibody levels. For each antibiotic course the child received, prebooster antibody levels to DTaP antigens were reduced by 5.8%, Hib by 6.8%, IPV by 11.3%, and PCV by 10.4% (all P ≤ .05), and postbooster antibody levels to DTaP antigens were reduced by 18.1%, Hib by 21.3%, IPV by 18.9%, and PCV by 12.2% (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Antibiotic use in children <2 years of age is associated with lower vaccine-induced antibody levels to several vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Chapman
- Center for Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Rochester
General Hospital Research Institute, Rochester, New York
| | - Minh Pham
- School of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science,
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Peter Bajorski
- School of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science,
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Michael E. Pichichero
- Center for Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Rochester
General Hospital Research Institute, Rochester, New York,Address correspondence to Michael E. Pichichero, MD, Rochester
General Hospital Research Institute, Center for Infectious Diseases and
Immunology, 1425 Portland Ave, Rochester, NY 14621. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Rabil MJ, Tunc S, Bish DR, Bish EK. Benefits of integrated screening and vaccination for infection control. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267388. [PMID: 35446872 PMCID: PMC9023060 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Screening and vaccination are essential in the fight against infectious diseases, but need to be integrated and customized based on community and disease characteristics. Objective To develop effective screening and vaccination strategies, customized for a college campus, to reduce COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and peak hospitalizations. Design, setting, and participants We construct a compartmental model of disease spread under vaccination and routine screening, and study the efficacy of four mitigation strategies (routine screening only, vaccination only, vaccination with partial or full routine screening), and a no-intervention strategy. The study setting is a hypothetical college campus of 5,000 students and 455 faculty members during the Fall 2021 academic semester, when the Delta variant was the predominant strain. For sensitivity analysis, we vary the screening frequency, daily vaccination rate, initial vaccine coverage, and screening and vaccination compliance; and consider scenarios that represent low/medium/high transmission and test efficacy. Model parameters come from publicly available or published sources. Results With low initial vaccine coverage (30% in our study), even aggressive vaccination and screening result in a high number of infections: 1,020 to 2,040 (1,530 to 2,480) with routine daily (every other day) screening of the unvaccinated; 280 to 900 with daily screening extended to the newly vaccinated in base- and worst-case scenarios, which respectively consider reproduction numbers of 4.75 and 6.75 for the Delta variant. Conclusion Integrated vaccination and routine screening can allow for a safe opening of a college when both the vaccine effectiveness and the initial vaccine coverage are sufficiently high. The interventions need to be customized considering the initial vaccine coverage, estimated compliance, screening and vaccination capacity, disease transmission and adverse outcome rates, and the number of infections/peak hospitalizations the college is willing to tolerate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Jeanne Rabil
- Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Sait Tunc
- Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Douglas R. Bish
- Department of Information Systems, Statistics, and Management Science, Culverhouse College of Business, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America
| | - Ebru K. Bish
- Department of Information Systems, Statistics, and Management Science, Culverhouse College of Business, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Huang W, Madge HYR, Zhang J, Gilmartin L, Hussein WM, Khalil ZG, Koirala P, Capon RJ, Toth I, Stephenson RJ. Structure-activity relationship of lipid, cyclic peptide and antigen rearrangement of physically mixed vaccines. Int J Pharm 2022; 617:121614. [PMID: 35245637 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Currently there is no approved vaccine to prevent and/or treat group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection. With increasing reports of GAS antibiotic resistance, vaccine adjuvants and targeted delivery systems which induce a strong immune response are a widely acknowledged unmet need. Through extensive structure-activity studies, we investigated a cyclic decapeptide physically mixed with a GAS B cell peptide epitope (J8), a universal T helper epitope (PADRE), and different synthetic lipidic moieties as a conceivable self-adjuvanting GAS vaccine. We explored the structure (orientation)-relationship of the chemically-conjugated B cell epitope and T helper epitope peptide as part of this physically-mixed vaccine. Following in vivo assessment in mice, these cyclic lipopeptide vaccines showed successful induction of J8-specific systemic IgG antibodies when administered subcutaneously without additional adjuvant. Interestingly, an exposed C-terminus of the GAS B cell epitope and a 16-carbon alpha-amino fatty acid lipid was required for strong immunoreactivity, capable of effectively opsonising multiple strains of clinically-isolated GAS bacteria. Physicochemical assessment proved the alpha helix structure of the GAS B cell epitope was retained, impacting particle self-assembly and vaccine immunoreactivity. This study showed the capability for a self-adjuvanting cyclic delivery system to act as a vehicle for the delivery of GAS peptide antigens to treat GAS infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Huang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Harrison Y R Madge
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Lachlan Gilmartin
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Waleed M Hussein
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Zeinab G Khalil
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Prashamsa Koirala
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Robert J Capon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Rachel J Stephenson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Caple A, Dimaano A, Sagolili MM, Uy AA, Aguirre PM, Alano DL, Camaya GS, Ciriaco BJ, Clavo PJM, Cuyugan D, Fermo CFG, Lanete PJ, La Torre AJ, Loteyro T, Lua RM, Manansala NG, Mosquito RW, Octaviano A, Orfanel AE, Pascual GM, Sale AJ, Tendenilla SL, Trinidad MSL, Trinidad NJ, Verano DL, Austriaco N. Interrogating COVID-19 vaccine intent in the Philippines with a nationwide open-access online survey. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12887. [PMID: 35190785 PMCID: PMC8857903 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
To mitigate the unprecedented health, social, and economic damage of COVID-19, the Philippines is undertaking a nationwide vaccination program to mitigate the effects of the global pandemic. In this study, we interrogated COVID-19 vaccine intent in the country by deploying a nationwide open-access online survey, two months before the rollout of the national vaccination program. The Health Belief Model (HBM) posits that people are likely to adopt disease prevention behaviors and to accept medical interventions like vaccines if there is sufficient motivation and cues to action. A majority of our 7,193 respondents (62.5%) indicated that they were willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Moreover, multivariable analysis revealed that HBM constructs were associated with vaccination intention in the Philippines. Perceptions of high susceptibility, high severity, and significant benefits were all good predictors for vaccination intent. We also found that external cues to action were important. Large majorities of our respondents would only receive the COVID-19 vaccines after many others had received it (72.8%) or after politicians had received it (68.2%). Finally, our study revealed that most (21%) were willing to pay an amount of PHP 1,000 (USD20) for the COVID-19 vaccines with an average willing-to-pay amount of PHP1,892 (USD38).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Caple
- Psychology, Providence College, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Arnie Dimaano
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | - April Anne Uy
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | - Dean Lotus Alano
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | | | - Dominic Cuyugan
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | | | - Thomas Loteyro
- Advertising Arts, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | | | - Alexa Octaviano
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | - Aubrey Joy Sale
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | | | | | - Nicanor Austriaco
- Biological Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines,Biology, Providence College, Providence, RI, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Ortega-Berlanga B, Pniewski T. Plant-Based Vaccines in Combat against Coronavirus Diseases. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:138. [PMID: 35214597 PMCID: PMC8876659 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus (CoV) diseases, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have gained in importance worldwide, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Due to the huge global demand, various types of vaccines have been developed, such as more traditional attenuated or inactivated viruses, subunit and VLP-based vaccines, as well as novel DNA and RNA vaccines. Nonetheless, emerging new COVID-19 variants are necessitating continuous research on vaccines, including these produced in plants, either via stable expression in transgenic or transplastomic plants or transient expression using viral vectors or agroinfection. Plant systems provide low cost, high scalability, safety and capacity to produce multimeric or glycosylated proteins. To date, from among CoVs antigens, spike and capsid proteins have been produced in plants, mostly using transient expression systems, at the additional advantage of rapid production. Immunogenicity of plant-produced CoVs proteins was positively evaluated after injection of purified antigens. However, this review indicates that plant-produced CoVs proteins or their carrier-fused immunodominant epitopes can be potentially applied also as mucosal vaccines, either after purification to be administered to particular membranes (nasal, bronchus mucosa) associated with the respiratory system, or as oral vaccines obtained from partly processed plant tissue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benita Ortega-Berlanga
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 34, 60-479 Poznań, Poland;
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Potential Application of Exosomes in Vaccine Development and Delivery. Pharm Res 2022; 39:2635-2671. [PMID: 35028802 PMCID: PMC8757927 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-021-03143-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Exosomes are cell-derived components composed of proteins, lipid, genetic information, cytokines, and growth factors. They play a vital role in immune modulation, cell-cell communication, and response to inflammation. Immune modulation has downstream effects on the regeneration of damaged tissue, promoting survival and repair of damaged resident cells, and promoting the tumor microenvironment via growth factors, antigens, and signaling molecules. On top of carrying biological messengers like mRNAs, miRNAs, fragmented DNA, disease antigens, and proteins, exosomes modulate internal cell environments that promote downstream cell signaling pathways to facilitate different disease progression and induce anti-tumoral effects. In this review, we have summarized how vaccines modulate our immune response in the context of cancer and infectious diseases and the potential of exosomes as vaccine delivery vehicles. Both pre-clinical and clinical studies show that exosomes play a decisive role in processes like angiogenesis, prognosis, tumor growth metastasis, stromal cell activation, intercellular communication, maintaining cellular and systematic homeostasis, and antigen-specific T- and B cell responses. This critical review summarizes the advancement of exosome based vaccine development and delivery, and this comprehensive review can be used as a valuable reference for the broader delivery science community.
Collapse
|
43
|
Beleboni RO, Silveira ELV, Stabeli RG. Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination: Global Human Unity and Ensuing Economic Alliances. Front Public Health 2022; 9:769764. [PMID: 35004582 PMCID: PMC8739775 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.769764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rene O Beleboni
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto University, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Eduardo L V Silveira
- LABI (Laboratory of B Cell Immunology), Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo G Stabeli
- Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCAR), São Carlos, Brazil.,Departamento de Medicina, Plataforma de Medicina Translacional, Fiocruz-SP, Ribeirão Preto, UFSCAR e Unidade de Emergência, preparação e catástrofe em Saúde Pública, OPAS/OMS, Brasilia, Brazil.,Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Bi-Institutional Plaform of Translational Medicine, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
|
45
|
Mayan D, Nguyen K, Keisler B. National attitudes of medical students towards mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and its association with knowledge of the vaccine. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260898. [PMID: 34936665 PMCID: PMC8694456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the introduction of the novel COVID-19 vaccine, public hesitancy is being experienced with many turning to healthcare professionals for advice. As future physicians, medical students play a critical role in the public’s view of the vaccine. Objectives To determine the attitude of U.S. medical students toward mandating the COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers and patients, as well as whether their knowledge of the vaccine plays a role in their view. Methods The authors emailed a survey link to all U.S. medical schools with request to distribute it to their medical students. The survey remained open from 02/09/2021 to 03/15/2021 and included questions to determine the attitude of the medical students toward recommending the COVID-19 vaccine, and general knowledge questions about the vaccine. Chi square, Fisher’s exact test, and linear regression were conducted to determine associations between willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine and general knowledge of the vaccine. Results Among the 1,899 responses from medical students representing 151 U.S. medical schools, 57.82% approved of making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory to healthcare workers, and 16.27% approved of making it mandatory to patients. Additionally, those who tested most knowledgeable of the vaccine were less likely to approve of making the vaccine mandatory for patients (66.67% vs. 72.70). Those that tested most knowledgeable were also more likely to personally receive the vaccine (72.35% vs 62.99%) as opposed to those that tested the least knowledgeable who were less willing to personally receive the vaccine (4.12% vs 14.17%). Conclusions The data revealed that a slight majority of medical students support a vaccine mandate toward healthcare workers while a minority of medical students support a vaccine mandate toward healthcare workers. Additionally, medical students that had relatively high knowledge of the vaccine correlated with not approving of making the vaccine mandatory for patients. However increased knowledge of the vaccine correlated with increased willingness to personally receive the vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danel Mayan
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kenny Nguyen
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Brian Keisler
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Nguyen TT, Nguyen TTD, Tran NMA, Nguyen HT, Vo GV. Microneedles enable the development of skin-targeted vaccines against coronaviruses and influenza viruses. Pharm Dev Technol 2021; 27:83-94. [PMID: 34802372 DOI: 10.1080/10837450.2021.2008967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many have seriously worried that the plus burden of seasonal influenza that might create a destructive scenario, resulting in overwhelmed healthcare capacities and onwards loss of life. Many efforts to develop a safe and efficacious vaccine to prevent infection by coronavirus and influenza, highlight the importance of vaccination to combat infectious pathogens. While vaccines are traditionally given as injections into the muscle, microneedle (MN) patches designed to precisely deliver cargos into the cutaneous microenvironment, rich in immune cells, provide a noninvasive and self-applicable vaccination approach, reducing overall costs and improving access to vaccines in places with limited supply. The current review aimed to highlight advances in research on the development of MNs-mediated cutaneous vaccine delivery. Concluding remarks and challenges on MNs-based skin immunization are also provided to contribute to the rational development of safe and effective MN-delivered vaccines against these emerging infectious diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thuy Trang Nguyen
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Thi Thuy Dung Nguyen
- Faculty of Environmental and Food Engineering, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen-Minh-An Tran
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Huy Truong Nguyen
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Giau Van Vo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Research Center for Genetics and Reproductive Health (CGRH), School of Medicine, Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Joshi G, Borah P, Thakur S, Sharma P, Mayank, Poduri R. Exploring the COVID-19 vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants: where do we stand and where do we go? Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 17:4714-4740. [PMID: 34856868 PMCID: PMC8726002 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1995283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As of September 2021, 117 COVID-19 vaccines are in clinical development, and 194 are in preclinical development as per the World Health Organization (WHO) published draft landscape. Among the 117 vaccines undergoing clinical trials, the major platforms include protein subunit; RNA; inactivated virus; viral vector, among others. So far, USFDA recognized to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine for its full use in individuals of 16 years of age and older. Though the approved vaccines are being manufactured at a tremendous pace, the wealthiest countries have about 28% of total vaccines despite possessing only 10.8% of the total world population, suggesting an inequity of vaccine distribution. The review comprehensively summarizes the history of vaccines, mainly focusing on vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. The review also connects relevant topics, including measurement of vaccines efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, associated challenges, and limitations, as hurdles in global vaccination are also kept forth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Joshi
- School of Pharmacy, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, India
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India
| | - Pobitra Borah
- School of Pharmacy, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, India
| | - Shweta Thakur
- Laboratory of Genomic Instability and Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneshwar, India
| | - Praveen Sharma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India
| | - Mayank
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India
| | - Ramarao Poduri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Arega SM, Knobel DL, Toka FN, Conan A. Non-specific effects of veterinary vaccines: a systematic review. Vaccine 2021; 40:1655-1664. [PMID: 34815120 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The benefits of vaccines have been centred on their specific effects on subsequent infections by target pathogens. Recent studies, however, have opened up new insights into additional effects of vaccines known as non-specific effects (NSEs) or heterologous effects of vaccines. While several articles have reviewed epidemiological and immunological evidence for NSEs of vaccines in humans, similar works on veterinary vaccines are scarce. The objective of this paper was to review the findings of published studies on NSEs of vaccines developed or repurposed for use in animals. In total 8412 titles were retrieved from PubMed and CABI databases on the 30th of April 2021. After the final stage of screening, 45 eligible articles were included in the review. Data from these articles were summarised and presented here. In general, most of the vaccines studied in the reviewed articles have beneficial NSEs against multiple pathogens and disease conditions. There were, however, fewe studies reporting detrimental NSEs from both non-live and live vaccines which is in contrast to the currently existing evidence of beneficial NSEs of live vaccines and detrimental NSEs of non-live vaccines. This review may be used as a complement for future review of RCT studies of NSEs of vaccines in animals and provide a useful addition to the evolving understanding of the NSEs of vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sintayehu M Arega
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
| | - Darryn L Knobel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Felix N Toka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Anne Conan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis; Center for One Health Research and Policy Advice, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Rossi I, Spagnoli G, Buttini F, Sonvico F, Stellari F, Cavazzini D, Chen Q, Müller M, Bolchi A, Ottonello S, Bettini R. A respirable HPV-L2 dry-powder vaccine with GLA as amphiphilic lubricant and immune-adjuvant. J Control Release 2021; 340:209-220. [PMID: 34740725 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Vaccines not requiring cold-chain storage/distribution and suitable for needle-free delivery are urgently needed. Pulmonary administration is one of the most promising non-parenteral routes for vaccine delivery. Through a multi-component excipient and spray-drying approach, we engineered highly respirable dry-powder vaccine particles containing a three-fold repeated peptide epitope derived from human papillomavirus (HPV16) minor capsid protein L2 displayed on Pyrococcus furious thioredoxin as antigen. A key feature of our engineering approach was the use of the amphiphilic endotoxin derivative glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) as both a coating agent enhancing particle de-aggregation and respirability as well as a built-in immune-adjuvant. Following an extensive characterization of the in vitro aerodynamic performance, lung deposition was verified in vivo by intratracheal administration in mice of a vaccine powder containing a fluorescently labeled derivative of the antigen. This was followed by a short-term immunization study that highlighted the ability of the GLA-adjuvanted vaccine powder to induce an anti-L2 systemic immune response comparable to (or even better than) that of the subcutaneously administered liquid-form vaccine. Despite the very short-term immunization conditions employed for this preliminary vaccination experiment, the intratracheally administered dry-powder, but not the subcutaneously injected liquid-state, vaccine induced consistent HPV neutralizing responses. Overall, the present data provide proof-of-concept validation of a new formulation design to produce a dry-powder vaccine that may be easily transferred to other antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Rossi
- Department of Food and Drug Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Gloria Spagnoli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Buttini
- Department of Food and Drug Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Fabio Sonvico
- Department of Food and Drug Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Fabio Stellari
- Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, Largo Belloli 11a, Parma, Italy
| | - Davide Cavazzini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Quigxin Chen
- German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Müller
- German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angelo Bolchi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy
| | - Simone Ottonello
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy.
| | - Ruggero Bettini
- Department of Food and Drug Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy; Interdepartmental Center Biopharmanet-tec, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze Parma, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Engineering a new vaccine platform for heterologous antigen delivery in live-attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:4273-4283. [PMID: 34429847 PMCID: PMC8355830 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Live vaccines are attractive vehicles for antigen delivery as a strategy to immunize against heterologous pathogens. The live vaccine MTBVAC is based on rational attenuation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the objective of improving BCG protection against pulmonary tuberculosis. However, the development of recombinant mycobacteria as antigen-presenting microorganisms has been hindered due to their fastidious genetic manipulation. In this study, we used MTBVAC as a genetic platform to deliver diphtheria, tetanus, or pertussis toxoids, which are the immunogenic constituents of the DTP vaccine. When using nonoptimal genetic conditions, the expression of these immunogens was barely detectable. Accordingly, we pursued a rational, step-by-step optimization of the genetic components to achieve the expression and secretion of these toxoids. We explored variants of the L5 mycobacteriophage promoter to ensure balanced antigen expression and plasmid stability. Optimal signal sequences were identified by comparative proteomics of MTBVAC and its parental strain. It was determined that proteins secreted by the Twin Arginine Translocation pathway displayed higher secretion in MTBVAC, and the Ag85A secretion sequence was selected as the best candidate. Because the coding regions of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis toxoids significantly differ in G + C content relative to mycobacterial genes, their codon usage was optimized. We also placed a 3xFLAG epitope in frame with the C-terminus of these toxoids to facilitate protein detection. Altogether, these optimizations resulted in the secretion of DTP antigens by MTBVAC, as demonstrated by western blot and MRM-MS. Finally, we examined specific antibody responses in mice vaccinated with recombinant MTBVAC expressing DTP antigens.
Collapse
|