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Binayke A, Zaheer A, Vishwakarma S, Singh S, Sharma P, Chandwaskar R, Gosain M, Raghavan S, Murugesan DR, Kshetrapal P, Thiruvengadam R, Bhatnagar S, Pandey AK, Garg PK, Awasthi A. A quest for universal anti-SARS-CoV-2 T cell assay: systematic review, meta-analysis, and experimental validation. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:3. [PMID: 38167915 PMCID: PMC10762233 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00794-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Measuring SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses is crucial to understanding an individual's immunity to COVID-19. However, high inter- and intra-assay variability make it difficult to define T cells as a correlate of protection against COVID-19. To address this, we performed systematic review and meta-analysis of 495 datasets from 94 original articles evaluating SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses using three assays - Activation Induced Marker (AIM), Intracellular Cytokine Staining (ICS), and Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISPOT), and defined each assay's quantitative range. We validated these ranges using samples from 193 SARS-CoV-2-exposed individuals. Although IFNγ ELISPOT was the preferred assay, our experimental validation suggested that it under-represented the SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell repertoire. Our data indicate that a combination of AIM and ICS or FluoroSpot assay would better represent the frequency, polyfunctionality, and compartmentalization of the antigen-specific T cell responses. Taken together, our results contribute to defining the ranges of antigen-specific T cell assays and propose a choice of assay that can be employed to better understand the cellular immune response against viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Binayke
- Immunology Core Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
- Centre for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Aymaan Zaheer
- Immunology Core Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Siddhesh Vishwakarma
- Immunology Core Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Savita Singh
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Priyanka Sharma
- Immunology Core Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Rucha Chandwaskar
- Department of Microbiology, AMITY University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
| | - Mudita Gosain
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | | | | | | | - Ramachandran Thiruvengadam
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
- Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India
| | | | | | - Pramod Kumar Garg
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Immunology Core Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India.
- Centre for Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India.
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Arif S, Domingo-Vila C, Pollock E, Christakou E, Williams E, Tree TIM. Monitoring islet specific immune responses in type 1 diabetes clinical immunotherapy trials. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1183909. [PMID: 37283770 PMCID: PMC10240960 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1183909] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of immunotherapeutic clinical trials in type 1 diabetes currently being conducted is expanding, and thus there is a need for robust immune-monitoring assays which are capable of detecting and characterizing islet specific immune responses in peripheral blood. Islet- specific T cells can serve as biomarkers and as such can guide drug selection, dosing regimens and immunological efficacy. Furthermore, these biomarkers can be utilized in patient stratification which can then benchmark suitability for participation in future clinical trials. This review focusses on the commonly used immune-monitoring techniques including multimer and antigen induced marker assays and the potential to combine these with single cell transcriptional profiling which may provide a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying immuno-intervention. Although challenges remain around some key areas such as the need for harmonizing assays, technological advances mean that multiparametric information derived from a single sample can be used in coordinated efforts to harmonize biomarker discovery and validation. Moreover, the technologies discussed here have the potential to provide a unique insight on the effect of therapies on key players in the pathogenesis of T1D that cannot be obtained using antigen agnostic approaches.
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Cellular and Humoral Immunity after the Third Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplant Recipients. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10060972. [PMID: 35746580 PMCID: PMC9230894 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10060972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Protecting vulnerable groups from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is mandatory. Immune responses after a third vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 are insufficiently studied in patients after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). We analyzed immune responses before and after a third vaccination in HSCT patients and healthy controls. Cellular immunity was assessed using interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) ELISpots. Furthermore, this is the first report on neutralizing antibodies against 11 variants of SARS-CoV-2, analyzed by competitive fluorescence assay. Humoral immunity was also measured by neutralization tests assessing cytopathic effects and by ELISA. Neither HSCT patients nor healthy controls displayed significantly higher SARS-CoV-2-specific IFN-γ or IL-2 responses after the third vaccination. However, after the third vaccination, cellular responses were 2.6-fold higher for IFN-γ and 3.2-fold higher for IL-2 in healthy subjects compared with HSCT patients. After the third vaccination, neutralizing antibodies were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in healthy controls, but not in HSCT patients. Healthy controls vs. HSCT patients had 1.5-fold higher concentrations of neutralizing antibodies against variants and 1.2-fold higher antibody concentrations against wildtype. However, half of the HSCT patients exhibited neutralizing antibodies to variants of SARS-CoV-2, which increased only slightly after a third vaccination.
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Wirsching S, Harder L, Heymanns M, Gröndahl B, Hilbert K, Kowalzik F, Meyer C, Gehring S. Long-Term, CD4 + Memory T Cell Response to SARS-CoV-2. Front Immunol 2022; 13:800070. [PMID: 35514974 PMCID: PMC9065554 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.800070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The first cases of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were reported by Chinese authorities at the end of 2019. The disease spread quickly and was declared a global pandemic shortly thereafter. To respond effectively to infection and prevent viral spread, it is important to delineate the factors that affect protective immunity. Herein, a cohort of convalescent healthcare workers was recruited and their immune responses were studied over a period of 3 to 9 months following the onset of symptoms. A cross-reactive T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 and endemic coronaviruses, i.e., OC43 and NL63, was demonstrated in the infected, convalescent cohort, as well as a cohort composed of unexposed individuals. The convalescent cohort, however, displayed an increased number of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cells relative to the unexposed group. Moreover, unlike humoral immunity and quickly decreasing antibody titers, T cell immunity in convalescent individuals was maintained and stable throughout the study period. This study also suggests that, based on the higher CD4 T cell memory response against nucleocapsid antigen, future vaccine designs may include nucleocapsid as an additional antigen along with the spike protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Wirsching
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Laura Harder
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus Heymanns
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Britta Gröndahl
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Katja Hilbert
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frank Kowalzik
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Claudius Meyer
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Gehring
- Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Wünsch K, Anastasiou OE, Alt M, Brochhagen L, Cherneha M, Thümmler L, van Baal L, Madel RJ, Lindemann M, Taube C, Witzke O, Rohn H, Krawczyk A, Jansen S. COVID-19 in Elderly, Immunocompromised or Diabetic Patients—From Immune Monitoring to Clinical Management in the Hospital. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040746. [PMID: 35458476 PMCID: PMC9024512 DOI: 10.3390/v14040746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel, highly transmissible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has triggered a pandemic of acute respiratory illness worldwide and remains a huge threat to the healthcare system’s capacity to respond to COVID-19. Elderly and immunocompromised patients are at increased risk for a severe course of COVID-19. These high-risk groups have been identified as developing diminished humoral and cellular immune responses. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 RNA remains detectable in nasopharyngeal swabs of these patients for a prolonged period of time. These factors complicate the clinical management of these vulnerable patient groups. To date, there are no well-defined guidelines for an appropriate duration of isolation for elderly and immunocompromised patients, especially in hospitals or nursing homes. The aim of the present study was to characterize at-risk patient cohorts capable of producing a replication-competent virus over an extended period after symptomatic COVID-19, and to investigate the humoral and cellular immune responses and infectivity to provide a better basis for future clinical management. In our cohort, the rate of positive viral cultures and the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests correlated with higher viral loads. Elderly patients and patients with diabetes mellitus had adequate cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, while immunocompromised patients had reduced humoral and cellular immune responses. Our patient cohort was hospitalized for longer compared with previously published cohorts. Longer hospitalization was associated with a high number of nosocomial infections, representing a potential hazard for additional complications to patients. Most importantly, regardless of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection, no virus was culturable beyond a cycle threshold (ct) value of 33 in the majority of samples. Our data clearly indicate that elderly and diabetic patients develop a robust immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and may be safely de-isolated at a ct value of more than 35.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korbinian Wünsch
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Olympia E. Anastasiou
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany;
| | - Mira Alt
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Leonie Brochhagen
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Maxim Cherneha
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Laura Thümmler
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany;
| | - Lukas van Baal
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and Division of Laboratory Research, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany;
| | - Rabea J. Madel
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Monika Lindemann
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany;
| | - Christian Taube
- Department of Pneumology, University Medicine Essen—Ruhrlandklinik, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany;
| | - Oliver Witzke
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Hana Rohn
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: (H.R.); (S.J.)
| | - Adalbert Krawczyk
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
| | - Sarah Jansen
- West German Centre of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany; (K.W.); (M.A.); (L.B.); (M.C.); (L.T.); (R.J.M.); (O.W.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: (H.R.); (S.J.)
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Keikha R, Hashemi-Shahri SM, Jebali A. The evaluation of novel oral vaccines based on self-amplifying RNA lipid nanparticles (saRNA LNPs), saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum LNPs, and saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants alpha and delta. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21308. [PMID: 34716391 PMCID: PMC8556360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00830-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to present and evaluate novel oral vaccines, based on self-amplifying RNA lipid nanparticles (saRNA LNPs), saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum LNPs, and saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum, to neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) variants alpha and delta. After invitro evaluation of the oral vaccines on HEK293T/17 cells, we found that saRNA LNPs, saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum LNPs, and saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum could express S-protein at both mRNA and protein levels. In the next step, BALB/c mice were orally vaccinated with saRNA LNPs, saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum LNPs, and saRNA transfected Lactobacillus plantarum at weeks 1 and 3. Importantly, a high titer of IgG and IgA was observed by all of them, sharply in week 6 (P < 0.05). In all study groups, their ratio of IgG2a/IgG1 was upper 1, indicating Th1-biased responses. Wild-type viral neutralization assay showed that the secreted antibodies in vaccinated mice and recovered COVID-19 patients could neutralize SARS-COV-2 variants alpha and delta. After oral administration of oral vaccines, biodistribution assay was done. It was found that all of them had the same biodistribution pattern. The highest concentration of S-protein was seen in the small intestine, followed by the large intestine and liver.
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MESH Headings
- Administration, Oral
- Adult
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- COVID-19/blood
- COVID-19/prevention & control
- COVID-19/virology
- COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage
- COVID-19 Vaccines/pharmacokinetics
- Female
- HEK293 Cells
- Humans
- Immunoglobulin A/blood
- Immunoglobulin A/immunology
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
- Intestine, Small/metabolism
- Lactobacillus plantarum/genetics
- Lactobacillus plantarum/metabolism
- Lipids/chemistry
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Middle Aged
- Models, Animal
- Nanoparticles/chemistry
- Neutralization Tests
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- SARS-CoV-2/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Tissue Distribution
- Transfection/methods
- Vaccination/methods
- Vaccines, Synthetic/administration & dosage
- mRNA Vaccines
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Keikha
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistant Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Hashemi-Shahri
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistant Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Ali Jebali
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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