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Mura M, Misganaw B, Gautam A, Robinson T, Chaudhury S, Bansal N, Martins AJ, Tsang J, Hammamieh R, Bergmann-Leitner E. Human transcriptional signature of protection after Plasmodium falciparum immunization and infectious challenge via mosquito bites. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2282693. [PMID: 38010150 PMCID: PMC10760396 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2282693] [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: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification of immune correlates of protection against infectious pathogens will accelerate the design and optimization of recombinant and subunit vaccines. Systematic analyses such as immunoprofiling including serological, cellular, and molecular assessments supported by computational tools are key to not only identify correlates of protection but also biomarkers of disease susceptibility. The current study expands our previous cellular and serological profiling of vaccine-induced responses to a whole parasite malaria vaccine. The irradiated sporozoite model was chosen as it is considered the most effective vaccine against malaria. In contrast to whole blood transcriptomics analysis, we stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with sporozoites and enriched for antigen-specific cells prior to conducting transcriptomics analysis. By focusing on transcriptional events triggered by antigen-specific stimulation, we were able to uncover quantitative and qualitative differences between protected and non-protected individuals to controlled human malaria infections and identified differentially expressed genes associated with sporozoite-specific responses. Further analyses including pathway and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that vaccination with irradiated sporozoites induced a transcriptomic profile associated with Th1-responses, Interferon-signaling, antigen-presentation, and inflammation. Analyzing longitudinal time points not only post-vaccination but also post-controlled human malaria infection further revealed that the transcriptomic profile of protected vs non-protected individuals was not static but continued to diverge over time. The results lay the foundation for comparing protective immune signatures induced by various vaccine platforms to uncover immune correlates of protection that are common across platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Mura
- Immunology Core, Biologics Research & Development, WRAIR-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Host-Pathogen Interactions, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, IRBA-Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
| | - Burook Misganaw
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Vysnova Inc, Landover, MD, USA
| | - Aarti Gautam
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Tanisha Robinson
- Immunology Core, Biologics Research & Development, WRAIR-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Sidhartha Chaudhury
- Center of Enabling Capabilties, WRAIR-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Neha Bansal
- Multiscale Systems Biology Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrew J. Martins
- Multiscale Systems Biology Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John Tsang
- Multiscale Systems Biology Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NIH Center for Human Immunology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Elke Bergmann-Leitner
- Immunology Core, Biologics Research & Development, WRAIR-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
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Oyong DA, Duffy FJ, Neal ML, Du Y, Carnes J, Schwedhelm KV, Hertoghs N, Jun SH, Miller H, Aitchison JD, De Rosa SC, Newell EW, McElrath MJ, McDermott SM, Stuart KD. Distinct immune responses associated with vaccination status and protection outcomes after malaria challenge. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011051. [PMID: 37195999 PMCID: PMC10228810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding immune mechanisms that mediate malaria protection is critical for improving vaccine development. Vaccination with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites (PfRAS) induces high level of sterilizing immunity against malaria and serves as a valuable tool for the study of protective mechanisms. To identify vaccine-induced and protection-associated responses during malarial infection, we performed transcriptome profiling of whole blood and in-depth cellular profiling of PBMCs from volunteers who received either PfRAS or noninfectious mosquito bites, followed by controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) challenge. In-depth single-cell profiling of cell subsets that respond to CHMI in mock-vaccinated individuals showed a predominantly inflammatory transcriptome response. Whole blood transcriptome analysis revealed that gene sets associated with type I and II interferon and NK cell responses were increased in prior to CHMI while T and B cell signatures were decreased as early as one day following CHMI in protected vaccinees. In contrast, non-protected vaccinees and mock-vaccinated individuals exhibited shared transcriptome changes after CHMI characterized by decreased innate cell signatures and inflammatory responses. Additionally, immunophenotyping data showed different induction profiles of vδ2+ γδ T cells, CD56+ CD8+ T effector memory (Tem) cells, and non-classical monocytes between protected vaccinees and individuals developing blood-stage parasitemia, following treatment and resolution of infection. Our data provide key insights in understanding immune mechanistic pathways of PfRAS-induced protection and infective CHMI. We demonstrate that vaccine-induced immune response is heterogenous between protected and non-protected vaccinees and that inducted-malaria protection by PfRAS is associated with early and rapid changes in interferon, NK cell and adaptive immune responses. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01994525.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian A. Oyong
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Fergal J. Duffy
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Maxwell L. Neal
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Ying Du
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jason Carnes
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Katharine V. Schwedhelm
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nina Hertoghs
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Seong-Hwan Jun
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Helen Miller
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - John D. Aitchison
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Stephen C. De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Evan W. Newell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - M Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Suzanne M. McDermott
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kenneth D. Stuart
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR), Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Duffy FJ, Hertoghs N, Du Y, Neal ML, Oyong D, McDermott S, Minkah N, Carnes J, Schwedhelm KV, McElrath MJ, De Rosa SC, Newell E, Aitchison JD, Stuart K. Longitudinal immune profiling after radiation-attenuated sporozoite vaccination reveals coordinated immune processes correlated with malaria protection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1042741. [PMID: 36591224 PMCID: PMC9798120 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1042741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Identifying immune processes required for liver-stage sterilizing immunity to malaria remains an open problem. The IMRAS trial comprised 5x immunizations with radiation-attenuated sporozoites resulting in 55% protection from subsequent challenge. Methods To identify correlates of vaccination and protection, we performed detailed systems immunology longitudinal profiling of the entire trial time course including whole blood transcriptomics, detailed PBMC cell phenotyping and serum antigen array profiling of 11 IMRAS radiation-attenuated sporozoite (RAS) vaccinees at up to 21 timepoints each. Results RAS vaccination induced serum antibody responses to CSP, TRAP, and AMA1 in all vaccinees. We observed large numbers of differentially expressed genes associated with vaccination response and protection, with distinctly differing transcriptome responses elicited after each immunization. These included inflammatory and proliferative responses, as well as increased abundance of monocyte and DC subsets after each immunization. Increases in Vδ2 γδ; T cells and MAIT cells were observed in response to immunization over the course of study, and CD1c+ CD40+ DC abundance was significantly associated with protection. Interferon responses strongly differed between protected and non-protected individuals with high interferon responses after the 1st immunization, but not the 2nd-5th. Blood transcriptional interferon responses were correlated with abundances of different circulating classical and non-classical monocyte populations. Conclusions This study has revealed multiple coordinated immunological processes induced by vaccination and associated with protection. Our work represents the most detailed immunological profiling of a RAS vaccine trial performed to date and will guide the design and interpretation of future malaria vaccine trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fergal J. Duffy
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States,*Correspondence: Fergal J. Duffy, ; Ken Stuart,
| | - Nina Hertoghs
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ying Du
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Maxwell L. Neal
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Damian Oyong
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Suzanne McDermott
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Nana Minkah
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jason Carnes
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Katharine V. Schwedhelm
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - M. Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Stephen C. De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Evan Newell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - John D. Aitchison
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ken Stuart
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States,*Correspondence: Fergal J. Duffy, ; Ken Stuart,
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Differential Homing Receptor Profiles of Lymphocytes Induced by Attenuated versus Live Plasmodium falciparum Sporozoites. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101768. [PMID: 36298634 PMCID: PMC9611729 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101768] [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: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The onset of an adaptive immune response provides the signals required for differentiation of antigen-specific lymphocytes into effector cells and imprinting of these cells for re-circulation to the most appropriate anatomical site (i.e., homing). Lymphocyte homing is governed by the expression of tissue-specific lymphocyte homing receptors that bind to unique tissue-specific ligands on endothelial cells. In this study, a whole-parasite malaria vaccine (radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS)) was used as a model system to establish homing receptor signatures induced by the parasite delivered through mosquito bite to provide a benchmark of desirable homing receptors for malaria vaccine developers. This immunization regimen resulted in the priming of antigen-specific B cells and CD8+ T cells for homing primarily to the skin and T/B cell compartments of secondary lymphoid organs. Infection with live sporozoites, however, triggers the upregulation of homing receptor for the liver and the skin, demonstrating that there is a difference in the signal provided by attenuated vs. live sporozoites. This is the first report on imprinting of homing routes by Plasmodium sporozoites and, surprisingly, it also points to additional, yet to be identified, signals provided by live parasites that prime lymphocytes for homing to the liver. The data also demonstrate the utility of this method for assessing the potential of vaccine formulations to direct antigen-specific lymphocytes to the most relevant anatomical site, thus potentially impacting vaccine efficacy.
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Sedegah M, Porter C, Goguet E, Ganeshan H, Belmonte M, Huang J, Belmonte A, Inoue S, Acheampong N, Malloy AMW, Hollis-Perry M, Jackson-Thompson B, Ramsey KF, Alcorta Y, Maiolatesi SE, Wang G, Reyes AE, Illinik L, Sanchez-Edwards M, Burgess TH, Broder CC, Laing ED, Pollett SD, Villasante E, Mitre E, Hollingdale MR. Cellular interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 responses to SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins are broader and higher in those vaccinated after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to vaccinees without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276241. [PMID: 36251675 PMCID: PMC9576055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Class I- and Class II-restricted epitopes have been identified across the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteome. Vaccine-induced and post-infection SARS-CoV-2 T-cell responses are associated with COVID-19 recovery and protection, but the precise role of T-cell responses remains unclear, and how post-infection vaccination ('hybrid immunity') further augments this immunity To accomplish these goals, we studied healthy adult healthcare workers who were (a) uninfected and unvaccinated (n = 12), (b) uninfected and vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine (2 doses n = 177, one dose n = 1) or Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine (one dose, n = 1), and (c) previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and vaccinated (BNT162b2, two doses, n = 6, one dose n = 1; mRNA-1273 two doses, n = 1). Infection status was determined by repeated PCR testing of participants. We used FluoroSpot Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) assays, using subpools of 15-mer peptides covering the S (10 subpools), N (4 subpools) and M (2 subpools) proteins. Responses were expressed as frequencies (percent positive responders) and magnitudes (spot forming cells/106 cytokine-producing peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs]). Almost all vaccinated participants with no prior infection exhibited IFN-γ, IL-2 and IFN-γ+IL2 responses to S glycoprotein subpools (89%, 93% and 27%, respectively) mainly directed to the S2 subunit and were more robust than responses to the N or M subpools. However, in previously infected and vaccinated participants IFN-γ, IL-2 and IFN-γ+IL2 responses to S subpools (100%, 100%, 88%) were substantially higher than vaccinated participants with no prior infection and were broader and directed against nine of the 10 S glycoprotein subpools spanning the S1 and S2 subunits, and all the N and M subpools. 50% of uninfected and unvaccinated individuals had IFN-γ but not IL2 or IFN-γ+IL2 responses against one S and one M subpools that were not increased after vaccination of uninfected or SARS-CoV-2-infected participants. Summed IFN-γ, IL-2, and IFN-γ+IL2 responses to S correlated with IgG responses to the S glycoprotein. These studies demonstrated that vaccinations with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 results in T cell-specific responses primarily against epitopes in the S2 subunit of the S glycoprotein, and that individuals that are vaccinated after SARS-CoV-2 infection develop broader and greater T cell responses to S1 and S2 subunits as well as the N and M proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Sedegah
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Chad Porter
- Translational Clinical Research Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Emilie Goguet
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Harini Ganeshan
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Maria Belmonte
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Jun Huang
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Arnel Belmonte
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
| | - Sandra Inoue
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
| | - Neda Acheampong
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
| | - Allison M. W. Malloy
- Department of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Monique Hollis-Perry
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Belinda Jackson-Thompson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Kathy F. Ramsey
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Yolanda Alcorta
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Santina E. Maiolatesi
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Gregory Wang
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Anatolio E. Reyes
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
- Clinical Trials Center, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Luca Illinik
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Margaret Sanchez-Edwards
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Timothy H. Burgess
- Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Christopher C. Broder
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Eric D. Laing
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Simon D. Pollett
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Eileen Villasante
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Edward Mitre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Michael R. Hollingdale
- Agile Vaccines and Therapeutics, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States of America
- * E-mail: ,
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Andagalu B, Lu P, Onyango I, Bergmann-Leitner E, Wasuna R, Odhiambo G, Chebon-Bore LJ, Ingasia LA, Juma DW, Opot B, Cheruiyot A, Yeda R, Okudo C, Okoth R, Chemwor G, Campo J, Wallqvist A, Akala HM, Ochiel D, Ogutu B, Chaudhury S, Kamau E. Age-dependent antibody profiles to plasmodium antigens are differentially associated with two artemisinin combination therapy outcomes in high transmission setting. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:991807. [PMID: 36314027 PMCID: PMC9606348 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.991807] [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: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of pre-existing immunity on the efficacy of artemisinin combination therapy is largely unknown. We performed in-depth profiling of serological responses in a therapeutic efficacy study [comparing artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL)] using a proteomic microarray. Responses to over 200 Plasmodium antigens were significantly associated with ASMQ treatment outcome but not AL. We used machine learning to develop predictive models of treatment outcome based on the immunoprofile data. The models predict treatment outcome for ASMQ with high (72–85%) accuracy, but could not predict treatment outcome for AL. This divergent treatment outcome suggests that humoral immunity may synergize with the longer mefloquine half-life to provide a prophylactic effect at 28–42 days post-treatment, which was further supported by simulated pharmacokinetic profiling. Our computational approach and modeling revealed the synergistic effect of pre-existing immunity in patients with drug combination that has an extended efficacy on providing long term treatment efficacy of ASMQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Andagalu
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Pinyi Lu
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Fort Detrick, MD, United States,Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Irene Onyango
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Elke Bergmann-Leitner
- Biologics Research and Development, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Ruth Wasuna
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Geoffrey Odhiambo
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Lorna J. Chebon-Bore
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Luicer A. Ingasia
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Dennis W. Juma
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Benjamin Opot
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Agnes Cheruiyot
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Redemptah Yeda
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Charles Okudo
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Raphael Okoth
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Gladys Chemwor
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Joseph Campo
- Antigen Discovery Inc., Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Anders Wallqvist
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Hoseah M. Akala
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Daniel Ochiel
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya
| | | | - Sidhartha Chaudhury
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Fort Detrick, MD, United States,Center for Enabling Capabilities, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Edwin Kamau
- Department of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (DEID), United States Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa (USAMRD-A), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Walter Reed Project, Kisumu, Kenya,U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Edwin Kamau, ,
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Murphy SC, Vaughan AM, Kublin JG, Fishbauger M, Seilie AM, Cruz KP, Mankowski T, Firat M, Magee S, Betz W, Kain H, Camargo N, Haile MT, Armstrong J, Fritzen E, Hertoghs N, Kumar S, Sather DN, Pinder LF, Deye GA, Galbiati S, Geber C, Butts J, Jackson LA, Kappe SH. A genetically engineered Plasmodium falciparum parasite vaccine provides protection from controlled human malaria infection. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabn9709. [PMID: 36001680 PMCID: PMC10423335 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abn9709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Genetically engineered live Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites constitute a potential platform for creating consistently attenuated, genetically defined, whole-parasite vaccines against malaria through targeted gene deletions. Such genetically attenuated parasites (GAPs) do not require attenuation by irradiation or concomitant drug treatment. We previously developed a P. falciparum (Pf) GAP with deletions in P52, P36, and SAP1 genes (PfGAP3KO) and demonstrated its safety and immunogenicity in humans. Here, we further assessed safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the PfGAP3KO vaccine and tested its efficacy against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) in malaria-naïve subjects. The vaccine was delivered by three (n = 6) or five (n = 8) immunizations with ~200 PfGAP3KO-infected mosquito bites per immunization. PfGAP3KO was safe and well tolerated with no breakthrough P. falciparum blood stage infections. Vaccine-related adverse events were predominately localized urticaria related to the numerous mosquito bites administered per vaccination. CHMI via bites with mosquitoes carrying fully infectious Pf NF54 parasites was carried out 1 month after the last immunization. Half of the study participants who received either three or five PfGAP3KO immunizations remained P. falciparum blood stage negative, as shown by a lack of detection of Plasmodium 18S rRNA in the blood for 28 days after CHMI. Six protected study participants received a second CHMI 6 months later, and one remained completely protected. Thus, the PfGAP3KO vaccine was safe and immunogenic and was capable of inducing protection against sporozoite infection. These results warrant further evaluation of PfGAP3KO vaccine efficacy in dose-range finding trials with an injectable formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. Murphy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98109
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Ashley M. Vaughan
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98105
| | - James G. Kublin
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98195
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Matthew Fishbauger
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Annette M. Seilie
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Kurtis P. Cruz
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Tracie Mankowski
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Melike Firat
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Sara Magee
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Will Betz
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Heather Kain
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Nelly Camargo
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Meseret T. Haile
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Janna Armstrong
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Emma Fritzen
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Nina Hertoghs
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - D. Noah Sather
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Leeya F. Pinder
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Gregory A. Deye
- Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD, United States
| | | | - Casey Geber
- The Emmes Company; Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | - Lisa A. Jackson
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; Seattle, WA
| | - Stefan H.I. Kappe
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute; 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98195
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98105
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8
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Chaudhury S, Bolton JS, Eller LA, Robb M, Ake J, Ngauy V, Regules JA, Kamau E, Bergmann-Leitner ES. Assessing Prevalence and Transmission Rates of Malaria through Simultaneous Profiling of Antibody Responses against Plasmodium and Anopheles Antigens. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11071839. [PMID: 35407447 PMCID: PMC9000160 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11071839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Reliably assessing exposure to mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites continues to be a challenge due to the lack of reliable, highly sensitive diagnostics with high-throughput potential. Here, we describe an approach that meets these requirements by simultaneously measuring immune responses to both disease vector and pathogen, using an electro-chemiluminescence-based multiplex assay platform. While using the same logistical steps as a classic ELISA, this platform allows for the multiplexing of up to ten antigens in a single well. This simple, reproducible, quantitative readout reports the magnitude, incidence, and prevalence of malaria infections in residents of malaria-endemic areas. By reporting exposure to both insect vectors and pathogen, the approach also provides insights into the efficacy of drugs and/or other countermeasures deployed against insect vectors aimed at reducing or eliminating arthropod-borne diseases. The high throughput of the assay enables the quick and efficient screening of sera from individuals for exposure to Plasmodium even if they are taking drug prophylaxis. We applied this assay to samples collected from controlled malaria infection studies, as well as those collected in field studies in malaria-endemic regions in Uganda and Kenya. The assay was sensitive to vector exposure, malaria infection, and endemicity, demonstrating its potential for use in malaria serosurveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhartha Chaudhury
- Center Enabling Capabilities, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Jessica S. Bolton
- Biologics Research & Development, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.S.B.); (V.N.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Leigh Anne Eller
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (L.A.E.); (M.R.)
| | - Merlin Robb
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (L.A.E.); (M.R.)
| | - Julie Ake
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.A.); (E.K.)
| | - Viseth Ngauy
- Biologics Research & Development, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.S.B.); (V.N.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Jason A. Regules
- Biologics Research & Development, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.S.B.); (V.N.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Edwin Kamau
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.A.); (E.K.)
- Laboratory Medicine, Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner
- Biologics Research & Development, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (J.S.B.); (V.N.); (J.A.R.)
- Correspondence:
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9
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Du Y, Hertoghs N, Duffy FJ, Carnes J, McDermott SM, Neal ML, Schwedhelm KV, McElrath MJ, De Rosa SC, Aitchison JD, Stuart KD. Systems analysis of immune responses to attenuated P. falciparum malaria sporozoite vaccination reveals excessive inflammatory signatures correlating with impaired immunity. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010282. [PMID: 35108339 PMCID: PMC8843222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunization with radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS) can confer sterilizing protection against malaria, although the mechanisms behind this protection are incompletely understood. We performed a systems biology analysis of samples from the Immunization by Mosquito with Radiation Attenuated Sporozoites (IMRAS) trial, which comprised P. falciparum RAS-immunized (PfRAS), malaria-naive participants whose protection from malaria infection was subsequently assessed by controlled human malaria infection (CHMI). Blood samples collected after initial PfRAS immunization were analyzed to compare immune responses between protected and non-protected volunteers leveraging integrative analysis of whole blood RNA-seq, high parameter flow cytometry, and single cell CITEseq of PBMCs. This analysis revealed differences in early innate immune responses indicating divergent paths associated with protection. In particular, elevated levels of inflammatory responses early after the initial immunization were detrimental for the development of protective adaptive immunity. Specifically, non-classical monocytes and early type I interferon responses induced within 1 day of PfRAS vaccination correlated with impaired immunity. Non-protected individuals also showed an increase in Th2 polarized T cell responses whereas we observed a trend towards increased Th1 and T-bet+ CD8 T cell responses in protected individuals. Temporal differences in genes associated with natural killer cells suggest an important role in immune regulation by these cells. These findings give insight into the immune responses that confer protection against malaria and may guide further malaria vaccine development. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01994525. Malaria remains a serious global health problem, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. An effective malaria vaccine would be an important tool to fight this disease. Previous work has shown that irradiated sporozoites, the form of the malaria parasite injected into humans by mosquitos, are not capable of progressing to a symptomatic blood stage malaria infection, and act as a protective vaccine against future malaria exposure. However the mechanisms that produce this protection are unknown. In this work, we studied individuals vaccinated with irradiated sporozoites before being exposed to live malaria parasites. Roughly half of these individual were protected against malaria. By analyzing blood samples taken at multiple points after the first vaccination using RNA sequencing and flow cytometry we identified immune responses that differed between protected and non-protected study participants. Notably, we observed a rapid increase in inflammation and interferon-associated genes in non-protected individual. We also observed protection-associated changes in T cell and NK cell associated pathways. Our study provides novel insights into immune responses associated with effective malaria vaccination, and can point the way to improved design of whole-sporozoite malaria vaccine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Du
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nina Hertoghs
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Fergal J. Duffy
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jason Carnes
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Suzanne M. McDermott
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Maxwell L. Neal
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Katharine V. Schwedhelm
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - M. Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Stephen C. De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - John D. Aitchison
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kenneth D. Stuart
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Immunoprofiling Identifies Functional B and T Cell Subsets Induced by an Attenuated Whole Parasite Malaria Vaccine as Correlates of Sterile Immunity. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10010124. [PMID: 35062785 PMCID: PMC8780163 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10010124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune correlates of protection remain elusive for most vaccines. An identified immune correlate would accelerate the down-selection of vaccine formulations by reducing the need for human pathogen challenge studies that are currently required to determine vaccine efficacy. Immunization via mosquito-delivered, radiation-attenuated P. falciparum sporozoites (IMRAS) is a well-established model for efficacious malaria vaccines, inducing greater than 90% sterile immunity. The current immunoprofiling study utilized samples from a clinical trial in which vaccine dosing was adjusted to achieve only 50% protection, thus enabling a comparison between protective and non-protective immune signatures. In-depth immunoprofiling was conducted by assessing a wide range of antigen-specific serological and cellular parameters and applying our newly developed computational tools, including machine learning. The computational component of the study pinpointed previously un-identified cellular T cell subsets (namely, TNFα-secreting CD8+CXCR3−CCR6− T cells, IFNγ-secreting CD8+CCR6+ T cells and TNFα/FNγ-secreting CD4+CXCR3−CCR6− T cells) and B cell subsets (i.e., CD19+CD24hiCD38hiCD69+ transitional B cells) as important factors predictive of protection (92% accuracy). Our study emphasizes the need for in-depth immunoprofiling and subsequent data integration with computational tools to identify immune correlates of protection. The described process of computational data analysis is applicable to other disease and vaccine models.
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11
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Preimmunization correlates of protection shared across malaria vaccine trials in adults. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:5. [PMID: 35031601 PMCID: PMC8760258 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00425-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying preimmunization biological characteristics that promote an effective vaccine response offers opportunities for illuminating the critical immunological mechanisms that confer vaccine-induced protection, for developing adjuvant strategies, and for tailoring vaccination regimens to individuals or groups. In the context of malaria vaccine research, studying preimmunization correlates of protection can help address the need for a widely effective malaria vaccine, which remains elusive. In this study, common preimmunization correlates of protection were identified using transcriptomic data from four independent, heterogeneous malaria vaccine trials in adults. Systems-based analyses showed that a moderately elevated inflammatory state prior to immunization was associated with protection against malaria challenge. Functional profiling of protection-associated genes revealed the importance of several inflammatory pathways, including TLR signaling. These findings, which echo previous studies that associated enhanced preimmunization inflammation with protection, illuminate common baseline characteristics that set the stage for an effective vaccine response across diverse malaria vaccine strategies in adults.
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12
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Gupta A, Styczynski MP, Galinski MR, Voit EO, Fonseca LL. Dramatic transcriptomic differences in Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis with Plasmodium knowlesi infections. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19519. [PMID: 34593836 PMCID: PMC8484567 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98024-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium knowlesi, a model malaria parasite, is responsible for a significant portion of zoonotic malaria cases in Southeast Asia and must be controlled to avoid disease severity and fatalities. However, little is known about the host-parasite interactions and molecular mechanisms in play during the course of P. knowlesi malaria infections, which also may be relevant across Plasmodium species. Here we contrast P. knowlesi sporozoite-initiated infections in Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis using whole blood RNA-sequencing and transcriptomic analysis. These macaque hosts are evolutionarily close, yet malaria-naïve M. mulatta will succumb to blood-stage infection without treatment, whereas malaria-naïve M. fascicularis controls parasitemia without treatment. This comparative analysis reveals transcriptomic differences as early as the liver phase of infection, in the form of signaling pathways that are activated in M. fascicularis, but not M. mulatta. Additionally, while most immune responses are initially similar during the acute stage of the blood infection, significant differences arise subsequently. The observed differences point to prolonged inflammation and anti-inflammatory effects of IL10 in M. mulatta, while M. fascicularis undergoes a transcriptional makeover towards cell proliferation, consistent with its recovery. Together, these findings suggest that timely detection of P. knowlesi in M. fascicularis, coupled with control of inflammation while initiating the replenishment of key cell populations, helps contain the infection. Overall, this study points to specific genes and pathways that could be investigated as a basis for new drug targets that support recovery from acute malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuj Gupta
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mark P Styczynski
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mary R Galinski
- Emory Vaccine Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eberhard O Voit
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Luis L Fonseca
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Laboratory for Systems Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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13
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A three-antigen Plasmodium falciparum DNA prime-Adenovirus boost malaria vaccine regimen is superior to a two-antigen regimen and protects against controlled human malaria infection in healthy malaria-naïve adults. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256980. [PMID: 34495988 PMCID: PMC8425539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A DNA-prime/human adenovirus serotype 5 (HuAd5) boost vaccine encoding Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) and Pf apical membrane antigen-1 (PfAMA1), elicited protection in 4/15 (27%) of subjects against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) that was statistically associated with CD8+ T cell responses. Subjects with high level pre-existing immunity to HuAd5 were not protected, suggesting an adverse effect on vaccine efficacy (VE). We replaced HuAd5 with chimpanzee adenovirus 63 (ChAd63), and repeated the study, assessing both the two-antigen (CSP, AMA1 = CA) vaccine, and a novel three-antigen (CSP, AMA1, ME-TRAP = CAT) vaccine that included a third pre-erythrocytic stage antigen [malaria multiple epitopes (ME) fused to the Pf thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (TRAP)] to potentially enhance protection. Methodology This was an open label, randomized Phase 1 trial, assessing safety, tolerability, and VE against CHMI in healthy, malaria naïve adults. Forty subjects (20 each group) were to receive three monthly CA or CAT DNA priming immunizations, followed by corresponding ChAd63 boost four months later. Four weeks after the boost, immunized subjects and 12 infectivity controls underwent CHMI by mosquito bite using the Pf3D7 strain. VE was assessed by determining the differences in time to parasitemia as detected by thick blood smears up to 28-days post CHMI and utilizing the log rank test, and by calculating the risk ratio of each treatment group and subtracting from 1, with significance calculated by the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method. Results In both groups, systemic adverse events (AEs) were significantly higher after the ChAd63 boost than DNA immunizations. Eleven of 12 infectivity controls developed parasitemia (mean 11.7 days). In the CA group, 15 of 16 (93.8%) immunized subjects developed parasitemia (mean 12.0 days). In the CAT group, 11 of 16 (63.8%) immunized subjects developed parasitemia (mean 13.0 days), indicating significant protection by log rank test compared to infectivity controls (p = 0.0406) and the CA group (p = 0.0229). VE (1 minus the risk ratio) in the CAT group was 25% compared to -2% in the CA group. The CA and CAT vaccines induced robust humoral (ELISA antibodies against CSP, AMA1 and TRAP, and IFA responses against sporozoites and Pf3D7 blood stages), and cellular responses (IFN-γ FluoroSpot responses to CSP, AMA1 and TRAP) that were not associated with protection. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the ChAd63 CAT vaccine exhibited significant protective efficacy, and confirmed protection was afforded by adding a third antigen (T) to a two-antigen (CA) formulation to achieve increased VE. Although the ChAd63-CAT vaccine was associated with increased frequencies of systemic AEs compared to the CA vaccine and, historically, compared to the HuAd5 vectored malaria vaccine encoding CSP and AMA1, they were transient and associated with increased vector dosing.
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14
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Sedegah M, Hollingdale MR, Ganeshan H, Belmonte M, Huang J, Belmonte A, Inoue S, Velasco R, Hickey B, Teneza-Mora N, Lumsden J, Reyes S, Banania JG, Reyes A, Guzman I, Richie TL, Epstein JE, Villasante E. IMRAS-Immunization with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites by mosquito bite: Cellular immunity to sporozoites, CSP, AMA1, TRAP and CelTOS. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256396. [PMID: 34415964 PMCID: PMC8378721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunization with radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS) by mosquito bites provides >90% sterile protection against Plasmodium falciparum malaria in humans. We conducted a clinical trial based on data from previous RAS clinical trials that suggested that 800-1200 infected bites should induce ~50% protective vaccine efficacy (VE) against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) administered three weeks after the final immunization. Two cohorts were immunized separately. VE was 55% in Cohort 1 but 90% in Cohort 2, the cohort that received a higher first dose and a reduced (fractional) fifth dose. Immune responses were better boosted by the fractional fifth dose in Cohort 2 and suggested the importance of the fractional fifth dose for increased protection in Cohort 2 responses. Three protected subjects were later boosted and were protected suggesting that protection could be extended to at least 67 weeks. METHODS The ex vivo FluoroSpot assay was used to measure peripheral IFN-γ, IL2, and IFN-γ+IL2 responses to PfNF54 sporozoites and malaria antigens CSP, AMA1, TRAP, and CelTOS using pools of synthetic overlapping 15mer peptides spanning each antigen. RESULTS There was no correlation between IFN-γ, IL2, and IFN-γ+IL2 responses to sporozoites and protection, but fold-increases between post-4th and post-5th responses greater than 1.0 occurred mostly in protected subjects. IFN-γ and IL2 responses to TRAP, CelTOS and CSP occurred only in protected subjects. Peripheral IFN-γ, IL2, and IFN-γ+IL2 responses were short-lived and low by 27 weeks post-CHMI but were restored by boosting. CONCLUSIONS These studies highlight the importance of vaccine dose and schedule for vaccine efficacy, and suggest that CSP, TRAP, AMA1 and CelTOS may be targets of protective immunity. The correlation between fold-increases in responses and protection should be explored in other vaccine trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01994525.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Sedegah
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael R. Hollingdale
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Harini Ganeshan
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Maria Belmonte
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jun Huang
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Arnel Belmonte
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sandra Inoue
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rachel Velasco
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Bradley Hickey
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nimfa Teneza-Mora
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Joanne Lumsden
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sharina Reyes
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jo Glenna Banania
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anatalio Reyes
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ivelese Guzman
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas L. Richie
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Judith E. Epstein
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eileen Villasante
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
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Duffy FJ, Du Y, Carnes J, Epstein JE, Hoffman SL, Abdulla S, Jongo S, Mpina M, Daubenberger C, Aitchison JD, Stuart K. Early whole blood transcriptional responses to radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite vaccination in malaria naïve and malaria pre-exposed adult volunteers. Malar J 2021; 20:308. [PMID: 34243763 PMCID: PMC8267772 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03839-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccination with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites is known to induce protective immunity. However, the mechanisms underlying this protection remain unclear. In this work, two recent radiation-attenuated sporozoite vaccination studies were used to identify potential transcriptional correlates of vaccination-induced protection. Methods Longitudinal whole blood RNAseq transcriptome responses to immunization with radiation-attenuated P. falciparum sporozoites were analysed and compared across malaria-naïve adult participants (IMRAS) and malaria-experienced adult participants (BSPZV1). Parasite dose and method of delivery differed between trials, and immunization regimens were designed to achieve incomplete protective efficacy. Observed protective efficacy was 55% in IMRAS and 20% in BSPZV1. Study vaccine dosings were chosen to elicit both protected and non-protected subjects, so that protection-associated responses could be identified. Results Analysis of comparable time points up to 1 week after the first vaccination revealed a shared cross-study transcriptional response programme, despite large differences in number and magnitude of differentially expressed genes between trials. A time-dependent regulatory programme of coherent blood transcriptional modular responses was observed, involving induction of inflammatory responses 1–3 days post-vaccination, with cell cycle responses apparent by day 7 in protected individuals from both trials. Additionally, strongly increased induction of inflammation and interferon-associated responses was seen in non-protected IMRAS participants. All individuals, except for non-protected BSPZV1 participants, showed robust upregulation of cell-cycle associated transcriptional responses post vaccination. Conclusions In summary, despite stark differences between the two studies, including route of vaccination and status of malaria exposure, responses were identified that were associated with protection after PfRAS vaccination. These comprised a moderate early interferon response peaking 2 days post vaccination, followed by a later proliferative cell cycle response steadily increasing over the first 7 days post vaccination. Non-protection is associated with deviations from this model, observed in this study with over-induction of early interferon responses in IMRAS and failure to mount a cell cycle response in BSPZV1. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-021-03839-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fergal J Duffy
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Ying Du
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jason Carnes
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Judith E Epstein
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Said Jongo
- Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Maxmillian Mpina
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Clinical Immunology Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland.,Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Claudia Daubenberger
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Clinical Immunology Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
| | - John D Aitchison
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ken Stuart
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Livingstone MC, Bitzer AA, Giri A, Luo K, Sankhala RS, Choe M, Zou X, Dennison SM, Li Y, Washington W, Ngauy V, Tomaras GD, Joyce MG, Batchelor AH, Dutta S. In vitro and in vivo inhibition of malaria parasite infection by monoclonal antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Sci Rep 2021; 11:5318. [PMID: 33674699 PMCID: PMC7970865 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84622-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum malaria contributes to a significant global disease burden. Circumsporozoite protein (CSP), the most abundant sporozoite stage antigen, is a prime vaccine candidate. Inhibitory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CSP map to either a short junctional sequence or the central (NPNA)n repeat region. We compared in vitro and in vivo activities of six CSP-specific mAbs derived from human recipients of a recombinant CSP vaccine RTS,S/AS01 (mAbs 317 and 311); an irradiated whole sporozoite vaccine PfSPZ (mAbs CIS43 and MGG4); or individuals exposed to malaria (mAbs 580 and 663). RTS,S mAb 317 that specifically binds the (NPNA)n epitope, had the highest affinity and it elicited the best sterile protection in mice. The most potent inhibitor of sporozoite invasion in vitro was mAb CIS43 which shows dual-specific binding to the junctional sequence and (NPNA)n. In vivo mouse protection was associated with the mAb reactivity to the NANPx6 peptide, the in vitro inhibition of sporozoite invasion activity, and kinetic parameters measured using intact mAbs or their Fab fragments. Buried surface area between mAb and its target epitope was also associated with in vivo protection. Association and disconnects between in vitro and in vivo readouts has important implications for the design and down-selection of the next generation of CSP based interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merricka C Livingstone
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Alexis A Bitzer
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Alish Giri
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Kun Luo
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Rajeshwer S Sankhala
- US Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Misook Choe
- US Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Zou
- Malaria Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - S Moses Dennison
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yuanzhang Li
- Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - William Washington
- Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Viseth Ngauy
- Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Georgia D Tomaras
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - M Gordon Joyce
- US Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adrian H Batchelor
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Sheetij Dutta
- Structural Vaccinology Lab, Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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