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Yamamoto Y, Fabbri C, Okuhara D, Takagi R, Kawabata Y, Katayama T, Iyori M, Hasyim AA, Sakamoto A, Mizukami H, Shida H, Lopes S, Yoshida S. A two-dose viral-vectored Plasmodium vivax multistage vaccine confers durable protection and transmission-blockade in a pre-clinical study. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1372584. [PMID: 38745665 PMCID: PMC11091281 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1372584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Among Plasmodium spp. responsible for human malaria, Plasmodium vivax ranks as the second most prevalent and has the widest geographical range; however, vaccine development has lagged behind that of Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest Plasmodium species. Recently, we developed a multistage vaccine for P. falciparum based on a heterologous prime-boost immunization regimen utilizing the attenuated vaccinia virus strain LC16m8Δ (m8Δ)-prime and adeno-associated virus type 1 (AAV1)-boost, and demonstrated 100% protection and more than 95% transmission-blocking (TB) activity in the mouse model. In this study, we report the feasibility and versatility of this vaccine platform as a P. vivax multistage vaccine, which can provide 100% sterile protection against sporozoite challenge and >95% TB efficacy in the mouse model. Our vaccine comprises m8Δ and AAV1 viral vectors, both harboring the gene encoding two P. vivax circumsporozoite (PvCSP) protein alleles (VK210; PvCSP-Sal and VK247; -PNG) and P25 (Pvs25) expressed as a Pvs25-PvCSP fusion protein. For protective efficacy, the heterologous m8Δ-prime/AAV1-boost immunization regimen showed 100% (short-term; Day 28) and 60% (long-term; Day 242) protection against PvCSP VK210 transgenic Plasmodium berghei sporozoites. For TB efficacy, mouse sera immunized with the vaccine formulation showed >75% TB activity and >95% transmission reduction activity by a direct membrane feeding assay using P. vivax isolates in blood from an infected patient from the Brazilian Amazon region. These findings provide proof-of-concept that the m8Δ/AAV1 vaccine platform is sufficiently versatile for P. vivax vaccine development. Future studies are needed to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, vaccine efficacy, and synergistic effects on protection and transmission blockade in a non-human primate model for Phase I trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaro Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Camila Fabbri
- Instituto Leônidas & Maria Deane/Fiocruz Amazônia, Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Controle e Doenças Infecciosas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado, Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica Carlos Borborema - UPCCB, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Daiki Okuhara
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Rina Takagi
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Yuna Kawabata
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Takuto Katayama
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Iyori
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ammar A. Hasyim
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Akihiko Sakamoto
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Mizukami
- Division of Genetic Therapeutics, Jichi Medical University, Shimono, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hisatoshi Shida
- Laboratory of Primate Model, Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Stefanie Lopes
- Instituto Leônidas & Maria Deane/Fiocruz Amazônia, Laboratório de Diagnóstico e Controle e Doenças Infecciosas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado, Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica Carlos Borborema - UPCCB, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Shigeto Yoshida
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Applied Immunology, Kanazawa University School of Pharmacy, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
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Balam S, Miura K, Ayadi I, Konaté D, Incandela NC, Agnolon V, Guindo MA, Diakité SA, Olugbile S, Nebie I, Herrera SM, Long C, Kajava AV, Diakité M, Corradin G, Herrera S, Herrera MA. Cross-reactivity of r Pvs48/45, a recombinant Plasmodium vivax protein, with sera from Plasmodium falciparum endemic areas of Africa. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.10.588966. [PMID: 38659832 PMCID: PMC11042229 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.10.588966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Background Ps48/45, a Plasmodium gametocyte surface protein, is a promising candidate for malaria transmission-blocking (TB) vaccine. Due to its relevance for a multispecies vaccine, we explored the cross-reactivity and TB activity of a recombinant P. vivax Ps48/45 protein (rPvs48/45) with sera from P. falciparum-exposed African donors. Methods rPvs48/45 was produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines and tested by ELISA for its cross-reactivity with sera from Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mali, and Nigeria - In addition, BALB/c mice were immunized with the rPvs48/45 protein formulated in Montanide ISA-51 and inoculated with a crude extract of P. falciparum NF-54 gametocytes to evaluate the parasite-boosting effect on rPvs48/45 antibody titers. Specific anti-rPvs48/45 IgG purified from African sera was used to evaluate the ex vivo TB activity on P. falciparum, using standard mosquito membrane feeding assays (SMFA). Results rPvs48/45 protein showed cross-reactivity with sera of individuals from all four African countries, in proportions ranging from 94% (Tanzania) to 40% (Nigeria). Also, the level of cross-reactive antibodies varied significantly between countries (p<0.0001), with a higher antibody level in Mali and the lowest in Nigeria. In addition, antibody levels were higher in adults (≥ 17 years) than young children (≤ 5 years) in both Mali and Tanzania, with a higher proportion of responders in adults (90%) than in children (61%) (p<0.0001) in Mali, where male (75%) and female (80%) displayed similar antibody responses. Furthermore, immunization of mice with P. falciparum gametocytes boosted anti-Pvs48/45 antibody responses, recognizing P. falciparum gametocytes in indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. Notably, rPvs48/45 affinity-purified African IgG exhibited a TB activity of 61% against P. falciparum in SMFA. Conclusion African sera (exposed only to P. falciparum) cross-recognized the rPvs48/45 protein. This, together with the functional activity of IgG, warrants further studies for the potential development of a P. vivax and P. falciparum cross-protective TB vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saidou Balam
- International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER-Mali), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
| | - Kazutoyo Miura
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Imen Ayadi
- Immunobiology Department, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Drissa Konaté
- International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER-Mali), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
| | | | - Valentina Agnolon
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland aaaa
| | - Merepen A Guindo
- International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER-Mali), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
| | - Seidina A.S. Diakité
- International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER-Mali), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
| | - Sope Olugbile
- Immunobiology Department, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Issa Nebie
- Groupe de Recherche Action Santé (GRAS), Burkina Faso, West Africa
| | | | - Carole Long
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Andrey V. Kajava
- Montpellier Cell Biology Research Center (CRBM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, France
| | - Mahamadou Diakité
- International Center for Excellence in Research (ICER-Mali), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
| | | | - Socrates Herrera
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
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Lopez-Perez M, Jain A, Davies DH, Vásquez-Jiménez JM, Herrera SM, Oñate J, Felgner PL, Herrera S, Arévalo-Herrera M. Profiling the antibody response of humans protected by immunization with Plasmodium vivax radiation-attenuated sporozoites. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2790. [PMID: 38307966 PMCID: PMC10837454 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria sterile immunity has been reproducibly induced by immunization with Plasmodium radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS). Analyses of sera from RAS-immunized individuals allowed the identification of P. falciparum antigens, such as the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), the basis for the RTS, S and R21Matrix-M vaccines. Similar advances in P. vivax (Pv) vaccination have been elusive. We previously reported 42% (5/12) of sterile protection in malaria-unexposed, Duffy-positive (Fy +) volunteers immunized with PvRAS followed by a controlled human malaria infection (CHMI). Using a custom protein microarray displaying 515 Pv antigens, we found a significantly higher reactivity to PvCSP and one hypothetical protein (PVX_089630) in volunteers protected against P. vivax infection. In mock-vaccinated Fy + volunteers, a strong antibody response to CHMI was also observed. Although the Fy- volunteers immunized with non-irradiated Pv-infected mosquitoes (live sporozoites) did not develop malaria after CHMI, they recognized a high number of antigens, indicating the temporary presence of asexual parasites in peripheral blood. Together, our findings contribute to the understanding of the antibody response to P. vivax infection and allow the identification of novel parasite antigens as vaccine candidates.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01082341.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Lopez-Perez
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department Physiology & Biophysics, Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - D Huw Davies
- Department Physiology & Biophysics, Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Philip L Felgner
- Department Physiology & Biophysics, Vaccine R&D Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sócrates Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia.
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia.
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Ntumngia FB, Kolli SK, Annamalai Subramani P, Barnes SJ, Nicholas J, Ogbondah MM, Barnes BB, Salinas ND, Thawornpan P, Tolia NH, Chootong P, Adams JH. Naturally acquired antibodies against Plasmodium vivax pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine antigens inhibit sporozoite invasion of human hepatocytes in vitro. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1260. [PMID: 38218737 PMCID: PMC10787766 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51820-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
In Plasmodium vivax, the most studied vaccine antigens are aimed at blocking merozoite invasion of erythrocytes and disease development. Very few studies have evaluated pre-erythrocytic (PE) stage antigens. The P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (CSP), is considered the leading PE vaccine candidate, but immunity to CSP is short-lived and variant specific. Thus, there is a need to identify other potential candidates to partner with CSP in a multivalent vaccine to protect against infection and disease. We hypothesize that sporozoite antigens important for host cell infection are considered potential targets. In this study, we evaluated the magnitude and quality of naturally acquired antibody responses to four P. vivax PE antigens: sporozoite surface protein 3 (SSP3), sporozoite protein essential for traversal 1 (SPECT1), cell traversal protein of ookinetes and sporozoites (CelTOS) and CSP in plasma of P. vivax infected patients from Thailand. Naturally acquired antibodies to these antigens were prevalent in the study subjects, but with significant differences in magnitude of IgG antibody responses. About 80% of study participants had antibodies to all four antigens and only 2% did not have antibodies to any of the antigens. Most importantly, these antibodies inhibited sporozoite infection of hepatocytes in vitro. Significant variations in magnitude of antigen-specific inhibitory antibody responses were observed with individual samples. The highest inhibitory responses were observed with anti-CelTOS antibodies, followed by anti-SPECT1, SSP3 and CSP antibodies respectively. These data highlight the vaccine potential of these antigens in protecting against hepatocyte infection and the need for a multi-valent pre-erythrocytic vaccine to prevent liver stage development of P. vivax sporozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Babila Ntumngia
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | | | - Samantha J Barnes
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Madison M Ogbondah
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Brian B Barnes
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Nichole D Salinas
- Host Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pongsakorn Thawornpan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Niraj H Tolia
- Host Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Patchanee Chootong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - John H Adams
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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Nicholas J, De SL, Thawornpan P, Brashear AM, Kolli SK, Subramani PA, Barnes SJ, Cui L, Chootong P, Ntumngia FB, Adams JH. Preliminary characterization of Plasmodium vivax sporozoite antigens as pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidates. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011598. [PMID: 37703302 PMCID: PMC10519608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax pre-erythrocytic (PE) vaccine research has lagged far behind efforts to develop Plasmodium falciparum vaccines. There is a critical gap in our knowledge of PE antigen targets that can induce functionally inhibitory neutralizing antibody responses. To overcome this gap and guide the selection of potential PE vaccine candidates, we considered key characteristics such as surface exposure, essentiality to infectivity and liver stage development, expression as recombinant proteins, and functional immunogenicity. Selected P. vivax sporozoite antigens were surface sporozoite protein 3 (SSP3), sporozoite microneme protein essential for cell traversal (SPECT1), sporozoite surface protein essential for liver-stage development (SPELD), and M2 domain of MAEBL. Sequence analysis revealed little variation occurred in putative B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the PE candidates. Each antigen was tested for expression as refolded recombinant proteins using an established bacterial expression platform and only SPELD failed. The successfully expressed antigens were immunogenic in vaccinated laboratory mice and were positively reactive with serum antibodies of P. vivax-exposed residents living in an endemic region in Thailand. Vaccine immune antisera were tested for reactivity to native sporozoite proteins and for their potential vaccine efficacy using an in vitro inhibition of liver stage development assay in primary human hepatocytes quantified on day 6 post-infection by high content imaging analysis. The anti-PE sera produced significant inhibition of P. vivax sporozoite invasion and liver stage development. This report provides an initial characterization of potential new PE candidates for a future P. vivax vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Sai Lata De
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pongsakorn Thawornpan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Awtum M. Brashear
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pradeep Annamalai Subramani
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Samantha J. Barnes
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Liwang Cui
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Patchanee Chootong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Francis Babila Ntumngia
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
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Feitsma EA, Janssen YF, Boersma HH, van Sleen Y, van Baarle D, Alleva DG, Lancaster TM, Sathiyaseelan T, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Ragupathy R, Kotha S, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Ronca SE, Green FM, Aminetzah A, Sollie F, Kruijff S, Brom M, van Dam GM, Zion TC. A randomized phase I/II safety and immunogenicity study of the Montanide-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-RBD-Fc vaccine, AKS-452. Vaccine 2023; 41:2184-2197. [PMID: 36842886 PMCID: PMC9946892 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.057] [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: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous interim data from a phase I study of AKS-452, a subunit vaccine comprising an Fc fusion of the respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein receptor binding domain (SP/RBD) emulsified in the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720, suggested a good safety and immunogenicity profile in healthy adults. This phase I study was completed and two dosing regimens were further evaluated in this phase II study. METHODS This phase II randomized, open-labelled, parallel group study was conducted at a single site in The Netherlands with 52 healthy adults (18 - 72 years) receiving AKS-452 subcutaneously at one 90 µg dose (cohort 1, 26 subjects) or two 45 µg doses 28 days apart (cohort 2, 26 subjects). Serum samples were collected at the first dose (day 0) and at days 28, 56, 90, and 180. Safety and immunogenicity endpoints were assessed, along with induction of IgG isotypes, cross-reactive immunity against viral variants, and IFN-γ T cell responses. RESULTS All AEs were mild/moderate (grades 1 or 2), and no SAEs were attributable to AKS-452. Seroconversion rates reached 100% in both cohorts, although cohort 2 showed greater geometric mean IgG titers that were stable through day 180 and associated with enhanced potencies of SP/RBD-ACE2 binding inhibition and live virus neutralization. AKS-452-induced IgG titers strongly bound mutant SP/RBD from several SARS-CoV-2 variants (including Omicrons) that were predominantly of the favorable IgG1/3 isotype and IFN-γ-producing T cell phenotype. CONCLUSION These favorable safety and immunogenicity profiles of the candidate vaccine as demonstrated in this phase II study are consistent with those of the phase I study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04681092) and suggest that a total of 90 µg received in 2 doses may offer a greater duration of cross-reactive neutralizing titers than when given in a single dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline A Feitsma
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Yester F Janssen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Hendrikus H Boersma
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Yannick van Sleen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Debbie van Baarle
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - David G Alleva
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | | | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Andrea R Delpero
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Melanie M Scully
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sravya Kotha
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Haworth
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Nishit J Shah
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Vidhya Rao
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Freedom M Green
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Ari Aminetzah
- TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Frans Sollie
- ICON, van Swietenlaan 6, 9728 NZ Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Schelto Kruijff
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten Brom
- TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gooitzen M van Dam
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands; TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Todd C Zion
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States.
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da Veiga GTS, Moriggi MR, Vettorazzi JF, Müller-Santos M, Albrecht L. Plasmodium vivax vaccine: What is the best way to go? Front Immunol 2023; 13:910236. [PMID: 36726991 PMCID: PMC9885200 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.910236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most devastating human infectious diseases caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites. A search for an effective and safe vaccine is the main challenge for its eradication. Plasmodium vivax is the second most prevalent Plasmodium species and the most geographically distributed parasite and has been neglected for decades. This has a massive gap in knowledge and consequently in the development of vaccines. The most significant difficulties in obtaining a vaccine against P. vivax are the high genetic diversity and the extremely complex life cycle. Due to its complexity, studies have evaluated P. vivax antigens from different stages as potential targets for an effective vaccine. Therefore, the main vaccine candidates are grouped into preerythrocytic stage vaccines, blood-stage vaccines, and transmission-blocking vaccines. This review aims to support future investigations by presenting the main findings of vivax malaria vaccines to date. There are only a few P. vivax vaccines in clinical trials, and thus far, the best protective efficacy was a vaccine formulated with synthetic peptide from a circumsporozoite protein and Montanide ISA-51 as an adjuvant with 54.5% efficacy in a phase IIa study. In addition, the majority of P. vivax antigen candidates are polymorphic, induce strain-specific and heterogeneous immunity and provide only partial protection. Nevertheless, immunization with recombinant proteins and multiantigen vaccines have shown promising results and have emerged as excellent strategies. However, more studies are necessary to assess the ideal vaccine combination and test it in clinical trials. Developing a safe and effective vaccine against vivax malaria is essential for controlling and eliminating the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what is already known to propose and identify new candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisele Tatiane Soares da Veiga
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba, Brazil,Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marcelo Müller-Santos
- Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Letusa Albrecht
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba, Brazil,*Correspondence: Letusa Albrecht,
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Somanathan A, Mian SY, Chaddha K, Uchoi S, Bharti PK, Tandon R, Gaur D, Chauhan VS. Process development and preclinical evaluation of a major Plasmodium falciparum blood stage vaccine candidate, Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (CyRPA). Front Immunol 2022; 13:1005332. [PMID: 36211427 PMCID: PMC9535676 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1005332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (CyRPA) is an essential, highly conserved merozoite antigen that forms an important multi-protein complex (RH5/Ripr/CyRPA) necessary for erythrocyte invasion. CyRPA is a promising blood-stage vaccine target that has been shown to elicit potent strain-transcending parasite neutralizing antibodies. Recently, we demonstrated that naturally acquired immune anti-CyRPA antibodies are invasion-inhibitory and therefore a correlate of protection against malaria. Here, we describe a process for the large-scale production of tag-free CyRPA vaccine in E. coli and demonstrate its parasite neutralizing efficacy with commonly used adjuvants. CyRPA was purified from inclusion bodies using a one-step purification method with high purity (>90%). Biochemical and biophysical characterization showed that the purified tag-free CyRPA interacted with RH5, readily detected by a conformation-specific CyRPA monoclonal antibody and recognized by sera from malaria infected individuals thus indicating that the recombinant antigen was correctly folded and retained its native conformation. Tag-free CyRPA formulated with Freund’s adjuvant elicited highly potent parasite neutralizing antibodies achieving inhibition of >90% across diverse parasite strains. Importantly, we identified tag-free CyRPA/Alhydrogel formulation as most effective in inducing a highly immunogenic antibody response that exhibited efficacious, cross-strain in vitro parasite neutralization achieving ~80% at 10 mg/ml. Further, CyRPA/Alhydrogel vaccine induced anti-parasite cytokine response in mice. In summary, our study provides a simple, scalable, cost-effective process for the production of tag-free CyRPA that in combination with human-compatible adjuvant induces efficacious humoral and cell-mediated immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Somanathan
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Syed Yusuf Mian
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Kritika Chaddha
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Seemalata Uchoi
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Praveen K. Bharti
- ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur, India
| | - Ravi Tandon
- Laboratory of AIDS Research and Immunology, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepak Gaur
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Virander Singh Chauhan
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Virander Singh Chauhan,
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9
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Randomized clinical trial to assess the protective efficacy of a Plasmodium vivax CS synthetic vaccine. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1603. [PMID: 35338131 PMCID: PMC8956637 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29226-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A randomized, double-blind, controlled vaccine clinical trial was conducted to assess, as the primary outcome, the safety and protective efficacy of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite (CS) protein in healthy malaria-naïve (phase IIa) and semi-immune (phase IIb) volunteers. Participants (n = 35) were randomly selected from a larger group (n = 121) and further divided into naïve (n = 17) and semi-immune (n = 18) groups and were immunized at months 0, 2, and 6 with PvCS formulated in Montanide ISA-51 adjuvant or placebo (adjuvant alone). Specific antibodies and IFN-γ responses to PvCS were determined as secondary outcome; all experimental volunteers developed specific IgG and IFN-γ. Three months after the last immunization, all participants were subjected to controlled human malaria infection. All naive controls became infected and drastic parasitemia reduction, including sterile protection, developed in several experimental volunteers in phase IIa (6/11) (54%, 95% CI 0.25-0.84) and phase IIb (7/11) (64%, 95% CI 0.35-0.92). However, no difference in parasitemia was observed between the phase IIb experimental and control subgroups. In conclusion, this study demonstrates significant protection in both naïve and semi-immune volunteers, encouraging further PvCS vaccine clinical development. Trial registration number NCT02083068. This trial was funded by Colciencias (grant 529-2009), NHLBI (grant RHL086488 A), and MVDC/CIV Foundation (grant 2014-1206).
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10
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To A, Lai CY, Wong TAS, Namekar M, Lieberman MM, Lehrer AT. Adjuvants Differentially Modulate the Immunogenicity of Lassa Virus Glycoprotein Subunits in Mice. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022; 3. [PMID: 37034031 PMCID: PMC10081732 DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.847598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lassa Fever (LF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus (LASV) that is primarily transmitted through contact with wild rodents in West Africa. Although several advanced vaccine candidates are progressing through clinical trials, some effective vaccines are virally vectored and thus require a stringent cold-chain, making distribution to rural and resource-poor areas difficult. Recombinant subunit vaccines are advantageous in this aspect as they can be thermostabilized and deployed with minimal storage and transportation requirements. However, antigen dose and adjuvant formulation must be carefully selected to ensure both the appropriate humoral and cell-mediated immune responses are elicited. In this study, we examine the immunogenicity of a two-step immunoaffinity-purified recombinant LASV glycoprotein (GP) with five clinical- and preclinical-grade adjuvants. Swiss Webster mice immunized intramuscularly with 2 or 3 doses of each vaccine formulation showed complete seroconversion and maximal GP-specific antibody response after two immunizations. Formulations with GPI-0100, LiteVax, Montanide™ ISA 51, and Montanide™ ISA 720 induced both IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies suggesting a balanced Th1/Th2 response, whereas formulation of LASV GP with Alhydrogel elicited a IgG1-dominant response. Splenocytes secreting both Th1 and Th2 cytokines i.e., IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-5, were observed from mice receiving both antigen doses formulated with ISA 720, LiteVax and GPI-0100. However, robust, multifunctional T-cells were only detected in mice receiving a higher dose of LASV GP formulated with GPI-0100. Our results emphasize the importance of careful adjuvant selection and lay the immunological basis for a recombinant subunit protein LF vaccine formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert To
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Chih-Yun Lai
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Teri Ann S. Wong
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Madhuri Namekar
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Michael M. Lieberman
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Axel T. Lehrer
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- Correspondence: Axel T. Lehrer,
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11
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Arévalo-Herrera M, Miura K, Solano E, Ramírez JS, Long CA, Corradin G, Herrera S. Immunogenicity of full-length P. vivax rPvs48/45 protein formulations in BALB/c mice. Vaccine 2022; 40:133-140. [PMID: 34802791 PMCID: PMC9109962 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pvs48/45 is a Plasmodium vivax gametocyte surface protein involved in the parasite fertilization process. Previous studies showed that Pvs48/45 proteins expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were highly immunoreactive with sera from malaria-endemic areas and highly immunogenic in animal models. Here the immunogenicity in mice of three different vaccine formulations was compared. METHODS Recombinant (r) Pvs48/45 proteins were expressed in E. coli and CHO, purified, formulated in Alhydrogel, GLA-SE and Montanide ISA-51 adjuvants and used to immunize BALB/c mice. Animals were immunized on days 0, 20 and 40, and serum samples were collected for serological analyses of specific antibody responses using ELISA and immunofluorescence (IFAT). Additionally, ex-vivo transmission-reducing activity (TRA) of sera on P. vivax gametocyte-infected human blood fed to Anopheles albimanus in direct membrane feeding assays (DMFA) was evaluated. RESULTS Most immunized animals seroconverted after the first immunization, and some developed antibody peaks of 106 with all adjuvants. However, the three adjuvant formulations induced different antibody responses and TRA efficacy. While GLA-SE formulations of both proteins induced similar antibody profiles, Montanide ISA-51 formulations resulted in higher and longer-lasting antibody titers with CHO-rPvs48/45 than with the E. coli formulation. Although the CHO protein formulated in Alhydrogel generated a high initial antibody peak, antibody responses to both proteins rapidly waned. Likewise, anti-Pvs48/45 antibodies displayed differential recognition of the parasite proteins in IFAT and ex vivo blockade of parasite transmission to mosquitoes. The CHO-rPvs48/45 formulated in Montanide ISA-51 induced the most effective ex vivo parasite blockage. CONCLUSIONS Three out of six vaccine formulations elicited antibodies with ex vivo TRA. The CHO-rPvs48/45 Montanide ISA-51 formulation induced the most stable antibody response, recognizing the native protein and the most robust ex vivo TRA. These results encourage further testing of the vaccine potential of this protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia.,Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia.,Corresponding author: Myriam Arevalo-Herrera, PhD, , Phone: (+57 2) 521 6232, Fax: (+57 2) 521 6228, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Carrera 37 2 Bis # 5E-08. Cali, Colombia
| | - Kazutoyo Miura
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | | | | | - Carole A. Long
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | | | - Sócrates Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia.,Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
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12
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Alleva DG, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Murikipudi S, Ragupathy R, Greaves EK, Sathiyaseelan T, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Lancaster TM, Webb SS, Jasa AI, Ronca SE, Green FM, Elyard HA, Yee J, Klein J, Karnes L, Sollie F, Zion TC. Development of an IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine, AKS-452. Vaccine 2021; 39:6601-6613. [PMID: 34642088 PMCID: PMC8491978 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.09.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AKS-452 is a biologically-engineered vaccine comprising an Fc fusion protein of the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein receptor binding domain antigen (Ag) and human IgG1 Fc (SP/RBD-Fc) in clinical development for the induction and augmentation of neutralizing IgG titers against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fc moiety is designed to enhance immunogenicity by increasing uptake via Fc-receptors (FcγR) on Ag-presenting cells (APCs) and prolonging exposure due to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) recycling. AKS-452 induced approximately 20-fold greater neutralizing IgG titers in mice relative to those induced by SP/RBD without the Fc moiety and induced comparable long-term neutralizing titers with a single dose vs. two doses. To further enhance immunogenicity, AKS-452 was evaluated in formulations containing a panel of adjuvants in which the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720, enhanced neutralizing IgG titers by approximately 7-fold after one and two doses in mice, including the neutralization of live SARS-CoV-2 virus infection of VERO-E6 cells. Furthermore, ISA 720-adjuvanted AKS-452 was immunogenic in rabbits and non-human primates (NHPs) and protected from infection and clinical symptoms with live SARS-CoV-2 virus in NHPs (USA-WA1/2020 viral strain) and the K18 human ACE2-trangenic (K18-huACE2-Tg) mouse (South African B.1.351 viral variant). These preclinical studies support the initiation of Phase I clinical studies with adjuvanted AKS-452 with the expectation that this room-temperature stable, Fc-fusion subunit vaccine can be rapidly and inexpensively manufactured to provide billions of doses per year especially in regions where the cold-chain is difficult to maintain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Alleva
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Andrea R Delpero
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Melanie M Scully
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Emma K Greaves
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | | | - Jeffrey R Haworth
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Nishit J Shah
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Vidhya Rao
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sarah S Webb
- Biomere Biomedical Research Models, 57 Union St., Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Allison I Jasa
- Biomere Biomedical Research Models, 57 Union St., Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Feigin ABSL-3 Facility, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Freedom M Green
- Feigin ABSL-3 Facility, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Hanne Andersen Elyard
- BIOQUAL, Inc., 9600 Medical Center Drive, Suite 101, Rockville, MD 20850-3336, United States
| | - JoAnn Yee
- Primate Assay Laboratory, CA National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Jeffrey Klein
- Sinclair Research Center, 562 State Road DD, Auxvasse, MO 65231, United States
| | - Larry Karnes
- Sinclair Research Center, 562 State Road DD, Auxvasse, MO 65231, United States
| | - Frans Sollie
- Pharmaceutical Research Associates Group B.V., Amerikaweg 18, 9407 TK Assen, Netherlands
| | - Todd C Zion
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States.
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13
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Arévalo-Herrera M, Miura K, Cespedes N, Echeverry C, Solano E, Castellanos A, Ramirez JS, Miranda A, Kajava AV, Long C, Corradin G, Herrera S. Immunoreactivity of Sera From Low to Moderate Malaria-Endemic Areas Against Plasmodium vivax r Pvs48/45 Proteins Produced in Escherichia coli and Chinese Hamster Ovary Systems. Front Immunol 2021; 12:634738. [PMID: 34248932 PMCID: PMC8264144 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.634738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
P48/45 is a conserved gametocyte antigen involved in Plasmodium parasite fertilization. A recombinant Plasmodium vivax P48/45 (Pvs48/45) protein expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) was highly antigenic and immunogenic in experimental animals and elicited specific transmission-blocking (TB) antibodies in a previous pilot study. Here, a similar Pvs48/45 gene was expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and we compared its immunoreactivity with the E. coli product. Specific antibody titers were determined using plasma from Colombian individuals (n=227) living in endemic areas where both P. vivax and P. falciparum are prevalent and from Guatemala (n=54) where P. vivax is highly prevalent. In Colombia, plasma seroprevalence to CHO-rPvs48/45 protein was 46.3%, while for E. coli-rPvs48/45 protein was 36.1% (p<0.001). In Guatemala, the sero prevalence was 24.1% and 14.8% (p<0.001), respectively. Reactivity index (RI) against both proteins showed an age-dependent increase. IgG2 was the predominant subclass and the antibody avidity index evaluated by ELISA ranged between 4-6 mol/L. Ex vivo P. vivax mosquito direct membrane feeding assays (DMFA) performed in presence of study plasmas, displayed significant parasite transmission-blocking (TB), however, there was no direct correlation between antibody titers and oocysts transmission reduction activity (%TRA). Nevertheless, DMFA with CHO rPvs48/45 affinity purified IgG showed a dose response; 90.2% TRA at 100 μg/mL and 71.8% inhibition at 10 μg/mL. In conclusion, the CHO-rPvs48/45 protein was more immunoreactive in most of the malaria endemic places studied, and CHO-rPvs48/45 specific IgG showed functional activity, supporting further testing of the protein vaccine potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Immunology Department, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
- Immunology Department, Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Kazutoyo Miura
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Nora Cespedes
- Immunology Department, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Carlos Echeverry
- Immunology Department, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Eduardo Solano
- Immunology Department, Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Angélica Castellanos
- Immunology Department, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
| | | | - Adolfo Miranda
- Parasitology Department, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (CNE), Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Andrey V. Kajava
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire de Montpellier, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Carole Long
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | - Sócrates Herrera
- Immunology Department, Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia
- Immunology Department, Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
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14
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Kamau E, Bennett JW, Yadava A. Safety and Tolerability of Mosquito-Bite Induced Controlled Human Infection with P. vivax in Malaria-Naïve Study Participants - Clinical Profile and Utility of Molecular Diagnostic Methods. J Infect Dis 2021; 225:146-156. [PMID: 34161579 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax controlled-human-malaria-infection (PvCHMI) is an important tool for the evaluation of drugs, vaccines and pathologies associated with this parasite. However, there is little data on its safety due to the limited number of PvCHMIs performed to-date. METHODS We report clinical and laboratory data collected, to include hematological and biochemical profiles and adverse-events, following mosquito-bite induced PvCHMI in malaria-naïve study-participants (ClinicalTrials.gov_NCT01157897). Malaria diagnosis and treatment initiation was based on microscopic analysis of Giemsa-stained slides. Exploratory molecular assays were used to detect parasites using real-time PCR. RESULTS Adverse-events (AEs) were mild to moderate and no study-related severe AEs were observed in any of the study participants. Majority of the symptoms were transient, resolving within 48hours. Molecular-diagnostic methods detected parasitemia in 100% of study-participants before malaria diagnosis using microscopy. Of the reported AEs, microscopy detected 67-100%, qPCR 79-100% and qRT-PCR detected 96-100% of the study-participants prior to appearance of symptoms. Almost all the symptoms appeared after the initiation of treatment, likely as a known consequence of drug treatment. CONCLUSIONS PvCHMI is safe with majority of the infections being detected prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms, which can be further alleviated by using sensitive molecular methods for clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Kamau
- Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Jason W Bennett
- Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America.,Multidrug-resistant organism Repository & Surveillance Network, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anjali Yadava
- Malaria Biologics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
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15
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Abstract
Cindy S Chu and co-authors review options for diagnosis, safe and radical cure, and relapse prevention of Plasmodium Vivax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy S. Chu
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit-Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Nicholas J. White
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit-Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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16
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De SL, Ntumngia FB, Nicholas J, Adams JH. Progress towards the development of a P. vivax vaccine. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:97-112. [PMID: 33481638 PMCID: PMC7994195 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1880898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Plasmodium vivax causes significant public health problems in endemic regions. A vaccine to prevent disease is critical, considering the rapid spread of drug-resistant parasite strains, and the development of hypnozoites in the liver with potential for relapse. A minimally effective vaccine should prevent disease and transmission while an ideal vaccine provides sterile immunity. AREAS COVERED Despite decades of research, the complex life cycle, technical challenges and a lack of funding have hampered progress of P. vivax vaccine development. Here, we review the progress of potential P. vivax vaccine candidates from different stages of the parasite life cycle. We also highlight the challenges and important strategies for rational vaccine design. These factors can significantly increase immune effector mechanisms and improve the protective efficacy of these candidates in clinical trials to generate sustained protection over longer periods of time. EXPERT OPINION A vaccine that presents functionally-conserved epitopes from multiple antigens from various stages of the parasite life cycle is key to induce broadly neutralizing strain-transcending protective immunity to effectively disrupt parasite development and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Lata De
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa – 33612, FL
| | - Francis B. Ntumngia
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa – 33612, FL
| | - Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa – 33612, FL
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa – 33612, FL
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17
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Functional Recognition by CD8+ T Cells of Epitopes with Amino Acid Variations Outside Known MHC Anchor or T Cell Receptor Recognition Residues. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21134700. [PMID: 32630213 PMCID: PMC7369715 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based vaccines can be safer and more cost effective than whole organism vaccines. Previous studies have shown that inorganic polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) covalently conjugated to the minimal immunodominant peptide epitope from murine liver stage malaria (SYIPSAEKI) induced potent CD8+ T cell responses. Many pathogens, including malaria, have polymorphic T cell epitope regions. Amino acid changes in positions that are contact residues for the T cell receptor (TCR) often alter the specific cross-reactivity induced by the peptide antigen, and it is largely assumed that changes outside of these residues have little impact. Herein, each amino acid residue (except major histocompatibility complex (MHC) anchors) was systematically changed to an alanine. Peptide epitopes with altered amino acids outside T cell contact residues were still recognized by T cells induced by PSNPs-SYIPSAEKI (KI) vaccines, albeit at lower levels, except for the variant SYIPSAAKI (A7). PSNPs-SYIPSAAKI vaccines further elicited high responses to the index KI peptide. None of the epitopes displayed altered peptide ligand (APL) antagonism in vitro, and re-stimulating SYIPSAEKI and SYIPSAAKI together synergistically enhanced IFN-γ production by the T cells. These results show epitope variation in non-TCR recognition residues can have effects on T cell reactivity, suggesting that such natural variation may also be driven by immune pressure. Additionally, when re-modelling peptides to enhance the cross-reactivity of vaccines, both TCR recognition and non-recognition residues should be considered.
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Soares RR, Nakaie CR, Rodrigues-da-Silva RN, da Silva RL, Lima-Junior JDC, Scopel KKG. Main B-cell epitopes of PvAMA-1 and PvMSP-9 are targeted by naturally acquired antibodies and epitope-specific memory cells in acute and convalescent phases of vivax malaria. Parasite Immunol 2020; 42:e12705. [PMID: 32096238 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Although antibodies are considered critical for malaria protection, little is known about the mechanisms/factors that maintain humoral immunity, especially regarding the induction and maintenance of memory B cells over time. In Brazilian endemic areas, this is the first time that the profile of antibody responses and the occurrence of antigen-specific memory B cells (MBC) against P vivax were investigated during acute malaria and up to six months after parasite clearance. For this, we selected two peptides, PvAMA-1(S290-K307) and PvMSP-9(E795-A808) , which represent the apical membrane antigen-1 and merozoite surface protein-9 of P vivax, respectively. Both peptides were previously described as containing linear B-cell epitopes. Our findings were as follows: 1-both peptides were recognized by IgG antibodies at a high frequency (between 24% and 81%) in all study groups; 2-in the absence of infection, the IgG levels remained stable throughout 6 months of follow-up; and 3-PvAMA-1(S290-K307) and PvMSP-9(E795-A808) -specific MBCs were detected in all individual groups in the absence of reinfection throughout the follow-up period, suggesting long-lived MBC. However, no positive association was observed between malaria-specific antibody levels and frequency of MBCs over time. Taken together, these results suggest that peptides can be, in the future, an alternative strategy to polypeptidic vaccine formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Reis Soares
- Department of Parasitology, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de For a, Juiz de For a, Brazil
| | - Clovis Ryuichi Nakaie
- Departament of Biophysics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Rogério Lauria da Silva
- Departament of Biophysics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Kézia Katiani Gorza Scopel
- Department of Parasitology, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de For a, Juiz de For a, Brazil
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Peptide-based vaccine successfully induces protective immunity against canine visceral leishmaniasis. NPJ Vaccines 2019; 4:49. [PMID: 31815006 PMCID: PMC6884440 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-019-0144-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs are the main reservoir of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis. Vaccination is a promising approach to help control leishmaniasis and to interrupt transmission of the Leishmania parasite. The promastigote surface antigen (PSA) is a highly immunogenic component of Leishmania excretory/secretory products. A vaccine based on three peptides derived from the carboxy-terminal part of Leishmania amazonensis PSA and conserved among Leishmania species, formulated with QA-21 as adjuvant, was tested on naive Beagle dogs in a preclinical trial. Four months after the full course of vaccination, dogs were experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum promastigotes. Immunization of dogs with peptide-based vaccine conferred immunity against experimental infection with L. infantum. Evidence for macrophage nitric oxide production and anti-leishmanial activity associated with IFN-γ production by lymphocytes was only found in the vaccinated group. An increase in specific IgG2 antibodies was also measured in vaccinated dogs from 2 months after immunization. Additionally, after challenge with L. infantum, the parasite burden was significantly lower in vaccinated dogs than in the control group. These data strongly suggest that this peptide-based vaccine candidate generated cross-protection against zoonotic leishmaniasis by inducing a Th1-type immune response associated with production of specific IgG2 antibodies. This preclinical trial including a peptide-based vaccine against leishmaniasis clearly demonstrates effective protection in a natural host. This approach deserves further investigation to enhance the immunogenicity of the peptides and to consider the possible engineering of a vaccine targeting several Leishmania species. Leishmaniasis, caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania, can present in different forms depending on the infecting species. Visceral leishmaniasis is associated with migration of the parasite, in this case Leishmania infantum, to various organs and can infect both humans and canids. Here Rachel Bras-Gonçalves and colleagues test a Leishmania vaccine for dogs as they are the main reservoir for this zoonotic disease. The vaccine is based on the abundant immunogenic component of Leishmania excretory/secretory product, promastigote surface antigen (PSA); specifically, three peptides from the carboxyl-terminal of PSA, which is conserved in Leishmania species. Uninfected Beagle dogs were immunized with QA-21 as an adjuvant, and no local or systemic adverse reactions were observed. Four months later after three doses of the vaccine, dogs were infected with L. infantum promastigotes. Vaccination provided immunity with reduced parasite burden and this was associated with macrophage anti-leishmanial activity, increased IFN-y and nitric oxide production and increased Leishmania-specific IgG2 antibodies.
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Matos ADS, Rodrigues-da-Silva RN, Soares IF, Baptista BDO, de Souza RM, Bitencourt-Chaves L, Totino PRR, Sánchez-Arcila JC, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, López-Camacho C, Reyes-Sandoval A, Pratt-Riccio LR, Lima-Junior JDC. Antibody Responses Against Plasmodium vivax TRAP Recombinant and Synthetic Antigens in Naturally Exposed Individuals From the Brazilian Amazon. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2230. [PMID: 31620136 PMCID: PMC6763564 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (TRAP) is essential for sporozoite motility and the invasion of mosquitoes' salivary gland and vertebrate's hepatocyte and is, thus, considered a promising pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidate. Despite the existence of a few reports on naturally acquired immune response against Plasmodium vivax TRAP (PvTRAP), it has never been explored so far in the Amazon region, so results are conflicting. Here, we characterized the (IgG and IgG subclass) antibody reactivity against recombinant PvTRAP in a cross-sectional study of 299 individuals exposed to malaria infection in three municipalities (Cruzeiro do Sul, Mâncio Lima and Guajará) from the Acre state of the Brazilian Amazon. In addition, the full PvTRAP sequence was screened for B-cell epitopes using in silico and in vitro approaches. Firstly, we confirmed that PvTRAP is naturally immunogenic in the cohort population since 49% of the individuals were IgG-responders to it. The observed immune responses were mainly driven by cytophilic IgG1 over all other sublcasses and the IgG levels that was corelated with age and time of residence in the studied area (p < 0.05). Interestingly, only the levels of specific anti-TRAP IgG3 seemed to be associated with protection, as IgG3 responders presented a significantly higher time elapse since the last malaria episode than those recorded for IgG3 non-responders. Regarding the B-cell epitope mapping, among the 148 responders to PvTRAP, four predicted epitopes were confirmed by recognition of antibodies (PvTRAPR197-H227; PvTRAPE237-T258; PvTRAPP344-G374; and PvTRAPE439-K454). Nevertheless, the frequency of responders against these peptides were low and did not show a clear correlation with the antibody response against the corresponding antigen. Moreover, none of the linear confirmed epitopes were located in the binding regions of PvTRAP in respect to the host cell ligand. Collectively, our data confirm the PvTRAP immunogenicity among Amazon inhabitants, while suggesting that the main important B-cell epitopes are not linear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada da Silva Matos
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Lana Bitencourt-Chaves
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Juan Camilo Sánchez-Arcila
- Viral Immunology Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, IOC, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - César López-Camacho
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Arturo Reyes-Sandoval
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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21
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Shabani SH, Zakeri S, Mortazavi Y, Mehrizi AA. Immunological evaluation of two novel engineered Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite proteins formulated with different human-compatible vaccine adjuvants in C57BL/6 mice. Med Microbiol Immunol 2019; 208:731-745. [DOI: 10.1007/s00430-019-00606-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Tailoring a Plasmodium vivax Vaccine To Enhance Efficacy through a Combination of a CSP Virus-Like Particle and TRAP Viral Vectors. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00114-18. [PMID: 29986894 PMCID: PMC6105880 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00114-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Vivax malaria remains one of the most serious and neglected tropical diseases, with 132 to 391 million clinical cases per year and 2.5 billion people at risk of infection. A vaccine against Plasmodium vivax could have more impact than any other intervention, and the use of a vaccine targeting multiple antigens may result in higher efficacy against sporozoite infection than targeting a single antigen. Vivax malaria remains one of the most serious and neglected tropical diseases, with 132 to 391 million clinical cases per year and 2.5 billion people at risk of infection. A vaccine against Plasmodium vivax could have more impact than any other intervention, and the use of a vaccine targeting multiple antigens may result in higher efficacy against sporozoite infection than targeting a single antigen. Here, two leading P. vivax preerythrocytic vaccine candidate antigens, the P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (PvCSP) and the thrombospondin-related adhesion protein (PvTRAP) were delivered as a combined vaccine. This strategy provided a dose-sparing effect, with 100% sterile protection in mice using doses that individually conferred low or no protection, as with the unadjuvanted antigens PvTRAP (0%) and PvCSP (50%), and reached protection similar to that of adjuvanted components. Efficacy against malaria infection was assessed using a new mouse challenge model consisting of a double-transgenic Plasmodium berghei parasite simultaneously expressing PvCSP and PvTRAP used in mice immunized with the virus-like particle (VLP) Rv21 previously reported to induce high efficacy in mice using Matrix-M adjuvant, while PvTRAP was concomitantly administered in chimpanzee adenovirus and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vectors (viral-vectored TRAP, or vvTRAP) to support effective induction of T cells. We examined immunity elicited by these vaccines in the context of two adjuvants approved for human use (AddaVax and Matrix-M). Matrix-M supported the highest anti-PvCSP antibody titers when combined with Rv21, and, interestingly, mixing PvCSP Rv21 and PvTRAP viral vectors enhanced immunity to malaria over levels provided by single vaccines.
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23
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Abstract
Since the turn of the century, a remarkable expansion has been achieved in the range and effectiveness of products and strategies available to prevent, treat, and control malaria, including advances in diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and vector control. These advances have once again put malaria elimination on the agenda. However, it is clear that even with the means available today, malaria control and elimination pose a formidable challenge in many settings. Thus, currently available resources must be used more effectively, and new products and approaches likely to achieve these goals must be developed. This paper considers tools (both those available and others that may be required) to achieve and maintain malaria elimination. New diagnostics are needed to direct treatment and detect transmission potential; new drugs and vaccines to overcome existing resistance and protect against clinical and severe disease, as well as block transmission and prevent relapses; and new vector control measures to overcome insecticide resistance and more powerfully interrupt transmission. It is also essential that strategies for combining new and existing approaches are developed for different settings to maximise their longevity and effectiveness in areas with continuing transmission and receptivity. For areas where local elimination has been recently achieved, understanding which measures are needed to maintain elimination is necessary to prevent rebound and the reestablishment of transmission. This becomes increasingly important as more countries move towards elimination.
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24
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Payne RO, Silk SE, Elias SC, Milne KH, Rawlinson TA, Llewellyn D, Shakri AR, Jin J, Labbé GM, Edwards NJ, Poulton ID, Roberts R, Farid R, Jørgensen T, Alanine DG, de Cassan SC, Higgins MK, Otto TD, McCarthy JS, de Jongh WA, Nicosia A, Moyle S, Hill AV, Berrie E, Chitnis CE, Lawrie AM, Draper SJ. Human vaccination against Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein induces strain-transcending antibodies. JCI Insight 2017; 2:93683. [PMID: 28614791 PMCID: PMC5470884 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.93683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread human malaria geographically; however, no effective vaccine exists. Red blood cell invasion by the P. vivax merozoite depends on an interaction between the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) and region II of the parasite’s Duffy-binding protein (PvDBP_RII). Naturally acquired binding-inhibitory antibodies against this interaction associate with clinical immunity, but it is unknown whether these responses can be induced by human vaccination. METHODS. Safety and immunogenicity of replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 63 (ChAd63) and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) viral vectored vaccines targeting PvDBP_RII (Salvador I strain) were assessed in an open-label dose-escalation phase Ia study in 24 healthy UK adults. Vaccines were delivered by the intramuscular route in a ChAd63-MVA heterologous prime-boost regimen using an 8-week interval. RESULTS. Both vaccines were well tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety profile in malaria-naive adults. PvDBP_RII–specific ex-vivo IFN-γ T cell, antibody-secreting cell, memory B cell, and serum IgG responses were observed after the MVA boost immunization. Vaccine-induced antibodies inhibited the binding of vaccine homologous and heterologous variants of recombinant PvDBP_RII to the DARC receptor, with median 50% binding-inhibition titers greater than 1:100. CONCLUSION. We have demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge that strain-transcending antibodies can be induced against the PvDBP_RII antigen by vaccination in humans. These vaccine candidates warrant further clinical evaluation of efficacy against the blood-stage P. vivax parasite. TRIAL REGISTRATION. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01816113. FUNDING. Support was provided by the UK Medical Research Council, UK National Institute of Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and the Wellcome Trust. A clinical trial of a candidate blood-stage Plasmodium vivax vaccine targeting the Duffy-binding protein demonstrates safety and immunogenicity in healthy adults and induces strain-transcending antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth O Payne
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E Silk
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sean C Elias
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn H Milne
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Llewellyn
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - A Rushdi Shakri
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
| | - Jing Jin
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nick J Edwards
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ian D Poulton
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Roberts
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan Farid
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas Jørgensen
- ExpreS2, ion Biotechnologies, SCION-DTU Science Park, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | | | | | - Matthew K Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas D Otto
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - James S McCarthy
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Willem A de Jongh
- ExpreS2, ion Biotechnologies, SCION-DTU Science Park, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- ReiThera SRL (formerly Okairòs SRL), Viale Città d'Europa, Rome, Italy.,CEINGE, Naples, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Sarah Moyle
- Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Vs Hill
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor Berrie
- Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.,Institut Pasteur, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - Alison M Lawrie
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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25
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López C, Yepes-Pérez Y, Hincapié-Escobar N, Díaz-Arévalo D, Patarroyo MA. What Is Known about the Immune Response Induced by Plasmodium vivax Malaria Vaccine Candidates? Front Immunol 2017; 8:126. [PMID: 28243235 PMCID: PMC5304258 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax continues being one of the most important infectious diseases around the world; P. vivax is the second most prevalent species and has the greatest geographic distribution. Developing an effective antimalarial vaccine is considered a relevant control strategy in the search for means of preventing the disease. Studying parasite-expressed proteins, which are essential in host cell invasion, has led to identifying the regions recognized by individuals who are naturally exposed to infection. Furthermore, immunogenicity studies have revealed that such regions can trigger a robust immune response that can inhibit sporozoite (hepatic stage) or merozoite (erythrocyte stage) invasion of a host cell and induce protection. This review provides a synthesis of the most important studies to date concerning the antigenicity and immunogenicity of both synthetic peptide and recombinant protein candidates for a vaccine against malaria produced by P. vivax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina López
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia; PhD Programme in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Yoelis Yepes-Pérez
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia; MSc Programme in Microbiology, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Natalia Hincapié-Escobar
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC) , Bogotá , Colombia
| | - Diana Díaz-Arévalo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia; Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales (UDCA), Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Manuel A Patarroyo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia; Basic Sciences Department, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
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26
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Wilson KL, Xiang SD, Plebanski M. A Model to Study the Impact of Polymorphism Driven Liver-Stage Immune Evasion by Malaria Parasites, to Help Design Effective Cross-Reactive Vaccines. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:303. [PMID: 27014226 PMCID: PMC4786561 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria parasites engage a multitude of strategies to evade the immune system of the host, including the generation of polymorphic T cell epitope sequences, termed altered peptide ligands (APLs). Herein we use an animal model to study how single amino acid changes in the sequence of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), a major target antigen of pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines, can lead to a reduction of cross reactivity by T cells. For the first time in any APL model, we further compare different inflammatory adjuvants (Montanide, Poly I:C), non-inflammatory adjuvants (nanoparticles), and peptide pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) for their potential capacity to induce broadly cross reactive immune responses. Results show that the capacity to induce a cross reactive response is primarily controlled by the T cell epitope sequence and cannot be modified by the use of different adjuvants. Moreover, we identify how specific amino acid changes lead to a one-way cross reactivity: where variant-x induced responses are re-elicited by variant-x and not variant-y, but variant-y induced responses can be re-elicited by variant-y and variant-x. We discuss the consequences of the existence of this one-way cross reactivity phenomenon for parasite immune evasion in the field, as well as the use of variant epitopes as a potential tool for optimized vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty L Wilson
- Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Immunology and Pathology, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sue D Xiang
- Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Immunology and Pathology, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Magdalena Plebanski
- Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Immunology and Pathology, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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27
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Arévalo-Herrera M, Lopez-Perez M, Dotsey E, Jain A, Rubiano K, Felgner PL, Davies DH, Herrera S. Antibody Profiling in Naïve and Semi-immune Individuals Experimentally Challenged with Plasmodium vivax Sporozoites. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004563. [PMID: 27014875 PMCID: PMC4807786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [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: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acquisition of malaria immunity in low transmission areas usually occurs after relatively few exposures to the parasite. A recent Plasmodium vivax experimental challenge trial in malaria naïve and semi-immune volunteers from Colombia showed that all naïve individuals developed malaria symptoms, whereas semi-immune subjects were asymptomatic or displayed attenuated symptoms. Sera from these individuals were analyzed by protein microarray to identify antibodies associated with clinical protection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Serum samples from naïve (n = 7) and semi-immune (n = 9) volunteers exposed to P. vivax sporozoite-infected mosquito bites were probed against a custom protein microarray displaying 515 P. vivax antigens. The array revealed higher serological responses in semi-immune individuals before the challenge, although malaria naïve individuals also had pre-existing antibodies, which were higher in Colombians than US adults (control group). In both experimental groups the response to the P. vivax challenge peaked at day 45 and returned to near baseline at day 145. Additional analysis indicated that semi-immune volunteers without fever displayed a lower response to the challenge, but recognized new antigens afterwards. CONCLUSION Clinical protection against experimental challenge in volunteers with previous P. vivax exposure was associated with elevated pre-existing antibodies, an attenuated serological response to the challenge and reactivity to new antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Faculty of Health, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Mary Lopez-Perez
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
| | - Emmanuel Dotsey
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Kelly Rubiano
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Philip L. Felgner
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - D. Huw Davies
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Sócrates Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
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28
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Hostetler JB, Sharma S, Bartholdson SJ, Wright GJ, Fairhurst RM, Rayner JC. A Library of Plasmodium vivax Recombinant Merozoite Proteins Reveals New Vaccine Candidates and Protein-Protein Interactions. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0004264. [PMID: 26701602 PMCID: PMC4689532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A vaccine targeting Plasmodium vivax will be an essential component of any comprehensive malaria elimination program, but major gaps in our understanding of P. vivax biology, including the protein-protein interactions that mediate merozoite invasion of reticulocytes, hinder the search for candidate antigens. Only one ligand-receptor interaction has been identified, that between P. vivax Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP) and the erythrocyte Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC), and strain-specific immune responses to PvDBP make it a complex vaccine target. To broaden the repertoire of potential P. vivax merozoite-stage vaccine targets, we exploited a recent breakthrough in expressing full-length ectodomains of Plasmodium proteins in a functionally-active form in mammalian cells and initiated a large-scale study of P. vivax merozoite proteins that are potentially involved in reticulocyte binding and invasion. Methodology/Principal Findings We selected 39 P. vivax proteins that are predicted to localize to the merozoite surface or invasive secretory organelles, some of which show homology to P. falciparum vaccine candidates. Of these, we were able to express 37 full-length protein ectodomains in a mammalian expression system, which has been previously used to express P. falciparum invasion ligands such as PfRH5. To establish whether the expressed proteins were correctly folded, we assessed whether they were recognized by antibodies from Cambodian patients with acute vivax malaria. IgG from these samples showed at least a two-fold change in reactivity over naïve controls in 27 of 34 antigens tested, and the majority showed heat-labile IgG immunoreactivity, suggesting the presence of conformation-sensitive epitopes and native tertiary protein structures. Using a method specifically designed to detect low-affinity, extracellular protein-protein interactions, we confirmed a predicted interaction between P. vivax 6-cysteine proteins P12 and P41, further suggesting that the proteins are natively folded and functional. This screen also identified two novel protein-protein interactions, between P12 and PVX_110945, and between MSP3.10 and MSP7.1, the latter of which was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance. Conclusions/Significance We produced a new library of recombinant full-length P. vivax ectodomains, established that the majority of them contain tertiary structure, and used them to identify predicted and novel protein-protein interactions. As well as identifying new interactions for further biological studies, this library will be useful in identifying P. vivax proteins with vaccine potential, and studying P. vivax malaria pathogenesis and immunity. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00663546 Plasmodium vivax causes malaria in millions of people each year, primarily in Southeast Asia and Central and South America. P. vivax has a dormant liver stage, which can lead to disease recurrence in infected individuals even in the absence of mosquito transmission. The development of vaccines that target blood-stage P. vivax parasites is therefore likely to be an essential component of any worldwide effort to eradicate malaria. Studying P. vivax is very difficult as this parasite grows poorly in the laboratory and invades only small numbers of young red blood cells in patients. Due to these and other challenges, only a handful of P. vivax proteins have been tested as potential vaccines. To generate more vaccine candidates, we expressed the entire ectodomains of 37 proteins that are predicted to be involved in P. vivax invasion of red blood cells. Antibodies from Cambodian patients with P. vivax malaria recognized heat-sensitive epitopes in the majority of these proteins, suggesting that they are natively folded. We also used the proteins to screen for both predicted and novel protein-protein interactions, confirming that the proteins are functional and further supporting their potential as vaccine candidates. As a new community resource, this P. vivax recombinant protein library will facilitate future studies of P. vivax pathogenesis and immunity, and greatly expands the list of candidate vaccine antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica B. Hostetler
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sumana Sharma
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - S. Josefin Bartholdson
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin J. Wright
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Rick M. Fairhurst
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RMF); (JCR)
| | - Julian C. Rayner
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (RMF); (JCR)
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Draper SJ, Angov E, Horii T, Miller LH, Srinivasan P, Theisen M, Biswas S. Recent advances in recombinant protein-based malaria vaccines. Vaccine 2015; 33:7433-43. [PMID: 26458807 PMCID: PMC4687528 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2015] [Revised: 09/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based vaccines remain the cornerstone approach for B cell and antibody induction against leading target malaria antigens. Advances in antigen selection, immunogen design and epitope-focusing are advancing the field. New heterologous expression platforms are enabling cGMP production of next-generation protein vaccines. Next-generation antigens, protein-based immunogens and virus-like particle (VLP) delivery platforms are in clinical development. Protein-based vaccines will form part of a highly effective multi-component/multi-stage/multi-antigen subunit formulation against malaria.
Plasmodium parasites are the causative agent of human malaria, and the development of a highly effective vaccine against infection, disease and transmission remains a key priority. It is widely established that multiple stages of the parasite's complex lifecycle within the human host and mosquito vector are susceptible to vaccine-induced antibodies. The mainstay approach to antibody induction by subunit vaccination has been the delivery of protein antigen formulated in adjuvant. Extensive efforts have been made in this endeavor with respect to malaria vaccine development, especially with regard to target antigen discovery, protein expression platforms, adjuvant testing, and development of soluble and virus-like particle (VLP) delivery platforms. The breadth of approaches to protein-based vaccines is continuing to expand as innovative new concepts in next-generation subunit design are explored, with the prospects for the development of a highly effective multi-component/multi-stage/multi-antigen formulation seeming ever more likely. This review will focus on recent progress in protein vaccine design, development and/or clinical testing for a number of leading malaria antigens from the sporozoite-, merozoite- and sexual-stages of the parasite's lifecycle–including PfCelTOS, PfMSP1, PfAMA1, PfRH5, PfSERA5, PfGLURP, PfMSP3, Pfs48/45 and Pfs25. Future prospects and challenges for the development, production, human delivery and assessment of protein-based malaria vaccines are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
| | - Evelina Angov
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, U. S. Military Malaria Research Program, Malaria Vaccine Branch, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Toshihiro Horii
- Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 561-873, Japan
| | - Louis H Miller
- Malaria Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Prakash Srinivasan
- Malaria Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Michael Theisen
- Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of International Health, Immunology, and Microbiology and Department of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sumi Biswas
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
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Development of vaccines for Plasmodium vivax malaria. Vaccine 2015; 33:7489-95. [PMID: 26428453 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Revised: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax continues to cause significant morbidity outside Africa with more than 50% of malaria cases in many parts of South and South-east Asia, Pacific islands, Central and South America being attributed to P. vivax infections. The unique biology of P. vivax, including its ability to form latent hypnozoites that emerge months to years later to cause blood stage infections, early appearance of gametocytes before clinical symptoms are apparent and a shorter development cycle in the vector makes elimination of P. vivax using standard control tools difficult. The availability of an effective vaccine that provides protection and prevents transmission would be a valuable tool in efforts to eliminate P. vivax. Here, we review the latest developments related to P. vivax malaria vaccines and discuss the challenges as well as directions toward the goal of developing highly efficacious vaccines against P. vivax malaria.
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van Doorn E, Liu H, Huckriede A, Hak E. Safety and tolerability evaluation of the use of Montanide ISA™51 as vaccine adjuvant: A systematic review. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2015; 12:159-69. [PMID: 26378866 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1071455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Montanide ISA™51 (ISA 51) is a vaccine adjuvant which has been tested in therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine trials. The aim of this review is to present a comprehensive examination of the safety and tolerability of ISA 51 containing vaccines. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and clinicaltrials.gov . Eligible studies were categorized into: (A) uncontrolled studies with non-healthy subjects, (B) controlled studies with non-healthy subjects, and (C) controlled studies with healthy subjects. Reported adverse events (AEs) were assessed. 91 studies were included in our review. Generally observed AEs included injection site reaction; injection site pain; myalgia; headache; gastro-intestinal disorders; fatigue and fever - regardless of the administration route and subject characteristic. Specific AEs, e.g. injection site reactions and rash, were more frequently reported from subjects receiving ISA 51-adjuvanted vaccines than from subjects receiving antigen or ISA 51 only. The reported AEs were mainly mild to moderate in intensity. Serious AEs (SAEs) were reported in 27% of the uncontrolled trials and 2 trials conducted with healthy subjects. Notably, 2 other trials conducted with healthy subjects were stopped due to unacceptable AEs. Some studies indicate that the mixing procedure of antigen and adjuvant might influence the occurrence of AEs. Reports on SAEs and premature termination of 2 trials advise caution when using ISA 51. Yet, AEs might be preventable by proper mixing of vaccine and adjuvant to a stable emulsion. Trials including an active control group are needed for a fair evaluation of adjuvant safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva van Doorn
- a Unit of PharmacoEpidemiology and PharmacoEconomics (PE2); Department of Pharmacy; University of Groningen ; Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Heng Liu
- a Unit of PharmacoEpidemiology and PharmacoEconomics (PE2); Department of Pharmacy; University of Groningen ; Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Anke Huckriede
- b Department of Medical Microbiology ; University of Groningen; University Medical Center of Groningen ; Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Eelko Hak
- a Unit of PharmacoEpidemiology and PharmacoEconomics (PE2); Department of Pharmacy; University of Groningen ; Groningen , The Netherlands
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Tanner M, Greenwood B, Whitty CJM, Ansah EK, Price RN, Dondorp AM, von Seidlein L, Baird JK, Beeson JG, Fowkes FJI, Hemingway J, Marsh K, Osier F. Malaria eradication and elimination: views on how to translate a vision into reality. BMC Med 2015; 13:167. [PMID: 26208740 PMCID: PMC4514994 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-015-0384-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although global efforts in the past decade have halved the number of deaths due to malaria, there are still an estimated 219 million cases of malaria a year, causing more than half a million deaths. In this forum article, we asked experts working in malaria research and control to discuss the ways in which malaria might eventually be eradicated. Their collective views highlight the challenges and opportunities, and explain how multi-factorial and integrated processes could eventually make malaria eradication a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Tanner
- Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, 4002, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Brian Greenwood
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Christopher J M Whitty
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Evelyn K Ansah
- Research and Development Division, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
| | - Ric N Price
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia. .,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Arjen M Dondorp
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Lorenz von Seidlein
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - J Kevin Baird
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Jalan Diponegoro No.69, Jakarta, 10430, Indonesia.
| | - James G Beeson
- Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. .,Department of Microbiology, Monash University, 19 Innovation Walk, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Freya J I Fowkes
- Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. .,Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. .,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Janet Hemingway
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK.
| | - Kevin Marsh
- African Academy of Sciences, Miotoni Road, Miotoni Lane, House No. 8 Karen, P.O. Box 24916-00502, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Faith Osier
- KEMRI Centre for Geographic Medicine Research-Coast, Kilifi, Kenya.
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Induction of Multifunctional Broadly Reactive T Cell Responses by a Plasmodium vivax Circumsporozoite Protein Recombinant Chimera. Infect Immun 2015; 83:3749-61. [PMID: 26169267 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00480-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread species of Plasmodium, causing up to 50% of the malaria cases occurring outside sub-Saharan Africa. An effective vaccine is essential for successful control and potential eradication. A well-characterized vaccine candidate is the circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Preclinical and clinical trials have shown that both antibodies and cellular immune responses have been correlated with protection induced by immunization with CSP. On the basis of our reported approach of developing chimeric Plasmodium yoelii proteins to enhance protective efficacy, we designed PvRMC-CSP, a recombinant chimeric protein based on the P. vivax CSP (PvCSP). In this engineered protein, regions of the PvCSP predicted to contain human T cell epitopes were genetically fused to an immunodominant B cell epitope derived from the N-terminal region I and to repeat sequences representing the two types of PvCSP repeats. The chimeric protein was expressed in soluble form with high yield. As the immune response to PvCSP has been reported to be genetically restricted in the murine model, we tested the immunogenicity of PvRMC-CSP in groups of six inbred strains of mice. PvRMC-CSP was able to induce robust antibody responses in all the mouse strains tested. Synthetic peptides representing the allelic forms of the P. vivax CSP were also recognized to a similar extent regardless of the mouse strain. Furthermore, the immunization regimen induced high frequencies of multifunctional CD4(+) and CD8(+) PvRMC-CSP-specific T cells. The depth and breadth of the immune responses elicited suggest that immunization with PvRMC-CSP can circumvent the genetic restriction of the immune response to P. vivax CSP. Interestingly, PvRMC-CSP was also recognized by naturally acquired antibodies from individuals living in areas where malaria is endemic. These features make PvRMC-CSP a promising vaccine candidate for further development.
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de Cassan SC, Shakri AR, Llewellyn D, Elias SC, Cho JS, Goodman AL, Jin J, Douglas AD, Suwanarusk R, Nosten FH, Rénia L, Russell B, Chitnis CE, Draper SJ. Preclinical Assessment of Viral Vectored and Protein Vaccines Targeting the Duffy-Binding Protein Region II of Plasmodium Vivax. Front Immunol 2015. [PMID: 26217340 PMCID: PMC4495344 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria vaccine development has largely focused on Plasmodium falciparum; however, a reawakening to the importance of Plasmodium vivax has spurred efforts to develop vaccines against this difficult to treat and at times severe form of relapsing malaria, which constitutes a significant proportion of human malaria cases worldwide. The almost complete dependence of P. vivax red blood cell invasion on the interaction of the P. vivax Duffy-binding protein region II (PvDBP_RII) with the human Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) makes this antigen an attractive vaccine candidate against blood-stage P. vivax. Here, we generated both preclinical and clinically compatible adenoviral and poxviral vectored vaccine candidates expressing the Salvador I allele of PvDBP_RII – including human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV5), chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 63 (ChAd63), and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vectors. We report on the antibody and T cell immunogenicity of these vaccines in mice or rabbits, either used alone in a viral vectored prime-boost regime or in “mixed-modality” adenovirus prime – protein-in-adjuvant boost regimes (using a recombinant PvDBP_RII protein antigen formulated in Montanide®ISA720 or Abisco®100 adjuvants). Antibodies induced by these regimes were found to bind to native parasite antigen from P. vivax infected Thai patients and were capable of inhibiting the binding of PvDBP_RII to its receptor DARC using an in vitro binding inhibition assay. In recent years, recombinant ChAd63 and MVA vectors have been quickly translated into human clinical trials for numerous antigens from P. falciparum as well as a growing number of other pathogens. The vectors reported here are immunogenic in small animals, elicit antibodies against PvDBP_RII, and have recently entered clinical trials, which will provide the first assessment of the safety and immunogenicity of the PvDBP_RII antigen in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Rushdi Shakri
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology , New Delhi , India
| | | | - Sean C Elias
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | - Jee Sun Cho
- Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore ; Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , Singapore , Singapore
| | - Anna L Goodman
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | - Jing Jin
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | | | - Rossarin Suwanarusk
- Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore ; Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , Singapore , Singapore
| | - François H Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University , Mae Sot , Thailand
| | - Laurent Rénia
- Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore ; Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) , Singapore , Singapore
| | - Bruce Russell
- Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology , New Delhi , India
| | - Simon J Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
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Wu Y, Sinden RE, Churcher TS, Tsuboi T, Yusibov V. Development of malaria transmission-blocking vaccines: from concept to product. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2015; 89:109-52. [PMID: 26003037 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of effort battling against malaria, the disease is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) that target sexual stage parasite development could be an integral part of measures for malaria elimination. In the 1950s, Huff et al. first demonstrated the induction of transmission-blocking immunity in chickens by repeated immunizations with Plasmodium gallinaceum-infected red blood cells. Since then, significant progress has been made in identification of parasite antigens responsible for transmission-blocking activity. Recombinant technologies accelerated evaluation of these antigens as vaccine candidates, and it is possible to induce effective transmission-blocking immunity in humans both by natural infection and now by immunization with recombinant vaccines. This chapter reviews the efforts to produce TBVs, summarizes the current status and advances and discusses the remaining challenges and approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimin Wu
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | - Thomas S Churcher
- MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Takafumi Tsuboi
- Division of Malaria Research, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
| | - Vidadi Yusibov
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, DE, USA
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Cutts JC, Powell R, Agius PA, Beeson JG, Simpson JA, Fowkes FJI. Immunological markers of Plasmodium vivax exposure and immunity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med 2014; 12:150. [PMID: 25199532 PMCID: PMC4172944 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-014-0150-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying Plasmodium vivax antigen-specific antibodies associated with P. vivax infection and protective immunity is key to the development of serosurveillance tools and vaccines for malaria. Antibody targets of P. vivax can be identified by seroepidemiological studies of individuals living in P. vivax-endemic areas, and is an important strategy given the limited ability to culture P. vivax in vitro. There have been numerous studies investigating the association between P. vivax antibody responses and P. vivax infection, but there has been no standardization of results to enable comparisons across populations. METHODS We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis of population-based, cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies of individuals living in P. vivax-endemic areas. We searched 6 databases and identified 18 studies that met predefined inclusion and quality criteria, and examined the association between antibody responses to P. vivax antigens and P. vivax malaria. RESULTS The majority of studies were published in South America (all from Brazil) and the rest from geographically diverse areas in the Asia-Pacific region. Considerable heterogeneity in estimates was observed, but IgG responses to PvCSP, PvMSP-119, PvMSP-9RIRII, and PvAMA1 were associated with increased odds of P. vivax infection in geographically diverse populations. Potential sources of heterogeneity included study design, different transmission intensities and transmigrant populations. Protective associations were observed for antibodies to PvMSP-119, PvMSP-1NT, PvMSP-3α and PvMSP-9NT antigens, but only in single geographical locations. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review revealed several antigen-specific antibodies that were associated with active infection and protective immunity, which may be useful biomarkers. However, more studies are needed on additional antigens, particularly cohort studies to increase the body of evidence for protective immunity. More studies representing diverse geographical regions encompassing varying P. vivax endemicities are needed to validate the generalizability of the findings and to provide a solid evidence base for the use of P. vivax antigens in vaccines and serosurveillance tools.
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Arévalo-Herrera M, Forero-Peña DA, Rubiano K, Gómez-Hincapie J, Martínez NL, Lopez-Perez M, Castellanos A, Céspedes N, Palacios R, Oñate JM, Herrera S. Plasmodium vivax sporozoite challenge in malaria-naïve and semi-immune Colombian volunteers. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99754. [PMID: 24963662 PMCID: PMC4070897 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Significant progress has been recently achieved in the development of Plasmodium vivax challenge infections in humans, which are essential for vaccine and drug testing. With the goal of accelerating clinical development of malaria vaccines, the outcome of infections experimentally induced in naïve and semi-immune volunteers by infected mosquito bites was compared. Methods Seven malaria-naïve and nine semi-immune Colombian adults (n = 16) were subjected to the bites of 2–4 P. vivax sporozoite-infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Parasitemia levels, malaria clinical manifestations, and immune responses were assessed and compared. Results All volunteers developed infections as confirmed by microscopy and RT-qPCR. No significant difference in the pre-patent period (mean 12.5 and 12.8 days for malaria-naïve and malaria-exposed, respectively) was observed but naïve volunteers developed classical malaria signs and symptoms, while semi-immune volunteers displayed minor or no symptoms at the day of diagnosis. A malaria-naïve volunteer developed a transient low submicroscopic parasitemia that cured spontaneously. Infection induced an increase in specific antibody levels in both groups. Conclusion Sporozoite infectious challenge was safe and reproducible in semi-immune and naïve volunteers. This model will provide information for simultaneous comparison of the protective efficacy of P. vivax vaccines in naïve and semi-immune volunteers under controlled conditions and would accelerate P. vivax vaccine development. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT01585077
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- School of Health, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- * E-mail:
| | - David A. Forero-Peña
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Kelly Rubiano
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - José Gómez-Hincapie
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Nora L. Martínez
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Mary Lopez-Perez
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Angélica Castellanos
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | - Nora Céspedes
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- School of Health, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | - Sócrates Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (CSRC), Cali, Colombia
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Céspedes N, Habel C, Lopez-Perez M, Castellanos A, Kajava AV, Servis C, Felger I, Moret R, Arévalo-Herrera M, Corradin G, Herrera S. Plasmodium vivax antigen discovery based on alpha-helical coiled coil protein motif. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100440. [PMID: 24959747 PMCID: PMC4069070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein α-helical coiled coil structures that elicit antibody responses, which block critical functions of medically important microorganisms, represent a means for vaccine development. By using bioinformatics algorithms, a total of 50 antigens with α-helical coiled coil motifs orthologous to Plasmodium falciparum were identified in the P. vivax genome. The peptides identified in silico were chemically synthesized; circular dichroism studies indicated partial or high α-helical content. Antigenicity was evaluated using human sera samples from malaria-endemic areas of Colombia and Papua New Guinea. Eight of these fragments were selected and used to assess immunogenicity in BALB/c mice. ELISA assays indicated strong reactivity of serum samples from individuals residing in malaria-endemic regions and sera of immunized mice, with the α-helical coiled coil structures. In addition, ex vivo production of IFN-γ by murine mononuclear cells confirmed the immunogenicity of these structures and the presence of T-cell epitopes in the peptide sequences. Moreover, sera of mice immunized with four of the eight antigens recognized native proteins on blood-stage P. vivax parasites, and antigenic cross-reactivity with three of the peptides was observed when reacted with both the P. falciparum orthologous fragments and whole parasites. Results here point to the α-helical coiled coil peptides as possible P. vivax malaria vaccine candidates as were observed for P. falciparum. Fragments selected here warrant further study in humans and non-human primate models to assess their protective efficacy as single components or assembled as hybrid linear epitopes.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Motifs
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan/immunology
- Antigens, Protozoan/chemistry
- Antigens, Protozoan/genetics
- Antigens, Protozoan/immunology
- Circular Dichroism
- Computational Biology
- Cross Reactions/immunology
- Databases, Genetic
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/chemistry
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Female
- Genome, Protozoan
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology
- Humans
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
- Mice
- Peptides/chemistry
- Peptides/immunology
- Plasmodium vivax/genetics
- Plasmodium vivax/immunology
- Protein Structure, Secondary
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Céspedes
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- School of Health, University of Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Catherine Habel
- Biochemistry Department, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | | | - Angélica Castellanos
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Fundación Centro de Primates, Cali, Colombia
| | - Andrey V. Kajava
- Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoleculaire (CRBM) and Institut de Biologie Computationnelle (IBC), CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- University ITMO, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Catherine Servis
- Biochemistry Department, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Ingrid Felger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Remy Moret
- Hôpital Saint Camille, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- School of Health, University of Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | | | - Sócrates Herrera
- Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center (MVDC), Cali, Colombia
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
- * E-mail:
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Antigenicity and immunogenicity of a novel Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite derived synthetic vaccine construct. Vaccine 2014; 32:3179-86. [PMID: 24731811 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2014] [Revised: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The circumsporozoite (CS) protein is a major malaria sporozoite surface antigen currently being considered as vaccine candidate. Plasmodium vivax CS (PvCS) protein comprises a dimorphic central repeat fragment flanked by conserved regions that contain functional domains involved in parasite invasion of host cells. The protein amino (N-terminal) flank has a cleavage region (region I), essential for proteolytic processing prior to parasite invasion of liver cells. METHODS We have developed a 131-mer long synthetic polypeptide (LSP) named PvNR1R2 that includes the N-terminal flank and the two natural repeat variant regions known as VK210 and VK247. We studied the natural immune response to this region in human sera from different malaria-endemic areas and its immunogenicity in mice. RESULTS PvNR1R2 was more frequently recognized by sera from Papua New Guinea (PNG) (83%) than by samples from Colombia (24%) when tested by ELISA. The polypeptide formulated in Montanide ISA51 adjuvant elicited strong antibody responses in both C3H and CB6F1 mice strains. Antibodies from immunized mice as well as affinity-purified human IgG reacted with native protein by IFA test. Moreover, mouse immune sera induced strong (90%) in vitro inhibition of sporozoite invasion (ISI) of hepatoma cell lines. CONCLUSIONS These results encourage further studies in non-human primates to confirm the elicitation of sporozoite invasion blocking antibodies, to assess cell mediated immune responses and the protective efficacy of this polypeptide.
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Almeida APMM, Dias MO, Vieira CDAF, Chávez-Olórtegui C, Gazzineli RT, Rodrigues MM, Fujiwara RT, Bruna-Romero O. Long-lasting humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by immunization with recombinant chimeras of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein. Vaccine 2014; 32:2181-7. [PMID: 24582631 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.02.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Revised: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The circumsporozoite protein (CSP), the most abundant surface antigen of sporozoites, has been extensively studied in different expression platforms as a vaccine candidate. Clinical trials have shown the necessity of broad and highly avid humoral immune responses together with high numbers of CSP-specific TCD4+ and TCD8+ cells, especially those producing IFN-γ, to induce protection. To this aim, we designed two distinct recombinant immunogens based on previously-described antigenic fragments of Plasmodium vivax CSP (PvCSP) to be used as vaccine candidates. The first one is a virus-like particle (VLP) comprising the repeat region of PvCSP (B and TCD4+ epitopes) within the loop of the hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAgPvCSP). The second one is a PvCSP multi-epitope polypeptide, rPvCSP-ME, designed based on antigenic regions of PvCSP recognized by lymphocytes of individuals from endemic areas. Mice immunized with 2 doses of these proteins, administered individually or combined and formulated in Montanide ISA 720 adjuvant, were able to induce strong effector and memory humoral responses with IgG titers ranging from 10(4) to 10(5) and avidity indexes toward full-length PvCSP reaching up to 66%, even 3 months after the last immunization. Furthermore, balanced Th1/Th2 responses were generated, as determined by titers of IgG subclasses and further confirmed by ELISPOT analyses, which detected that these vaccination protocols were able to elicit long-term IFN-γ and IL-2-secreting memory T-cells. Overall, these results show that our vaccine candidates generate, in mice, immune responses against regions within PvCSP that have been associated with protection against malaria in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Oscar Bruna-Romero
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, CCB, UFSC, Brazil.
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41
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Fox CB, Haensler J. An update on safety and immunogenicity of vaccines containing emulsion-based adjuvants. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 12:747-58. [PMID: 23885820 DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2013.811188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
With the exception of alum, emulsion-based vaccine adjuvants have been administered to far more people than any other adjuvant, especially since the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. The number of clinical safety and immunogenicity evaluations of vaccines containing emulsion adjuvants has correspondingly mushroomed. In this review, the authors introduce emulsion adjuvant composition and history before detailing the most recent findings from clinical and postmarketing data regarding the effects of emulsion adjuvants on vaccine immunogenicity and safety, with emphasis on the most widely distributed emulsion adjuvants, MF59® and AS03. The authors also present a summary of other emulsion adjuvants in clinical development and indicate promising avenues for future emulsion-based adjuvant development. Overall, emulsion adjuvants have demonstrated potent adjuvant activity across a number of disease indications along with acceptable safety profiles.
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42
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Patarroyo MA, Calderón D, Moreno-Pérez DA. Vaccines againstPlasmodium vivax: a research challenge. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 11:1249-60. [DOI: 10.1586/erv.12.91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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43
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Vanloubbeeck Y, Pichyangkul S, Bayat B, Yongvanitchit K, Bennett JW, Sattabongkot J, Schaecher K, Ockenhouse CF, Cohen J, Yadava A. Comparison of the immune responses induced by soluble and particulate Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite vaccine candidates formulated in AS01 in rhesus macaques. Vaccine 2013; 31:6216-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Revised: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Antigenicity and immunogenicity of a novel chimeric peptide antigen based on the P. vivax circumsporozoite protein. Vaccine 2013; 31:4923-30. [PMID: 23954378 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.05.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite (PvCS) protein is a major sporozoite surface antigen involved in parasite invasion of hepatocytes and is currently being considered as vaccine candidate. PvCS contains a dimorphic central repetitive fragment flanked by conserved regions that contain functional domains. METHODS We have developed a chimeric 137-mer synthetic polypeptide (PvCS-NRC) that includes the conserved region I and region II-plus and the two natural repeat variants known as VK210 and VK247. The antigenicity of PvCS-NRC was tested using human sera from PNG and Colombia endemic areas and its immunogenicity was confirmed in mice with different genetic backgrounds, the polypeptide formulated either in Alum or GLA-SE adjuvants was assessed in inbred C3H, CB6F1 and outbred ICR mice, whereas a formulation in Montanide ISA51 was tested in C3H mice. RESULTS Antigenicity studies indicated that the chimeric peptide is recognized by a high proportion (60-70%) of residents of malaria-endemic areas. Peptides formulated with either GLA-SE or Montanide ISA51 adjuvants induced stronger antibody responses as compared with the Alum formulation. Sera from immunized mice as well as antigen-specific affinity purified human IgG antibodies reacted with sporozoite preparations in immunofluorescence and Western blot assays, and displayed strong in vitro inhibition of sporozoite invasion (ISI) into hepatoma cells. CONCLUSIONS The polypeptide was recognized at high prevalence when tested against naturally induced human antibodies and was able to induce significant immunogenicity in mice. Additionally, specific antibodies were able to recognize sporozoites and were able to block sporozoite invasion in vitro. Further evaluation of this chimeric protein construct in preclinical phase e.g. in Aotus monkeys in order to assess the humoral and cellular immune responses as well as protective efficacy against parasite challenge of the vaccine candidate must be conducted.
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Pleguezuelos O, Stoloff GA, Caparrós-Wanderley W. Synthetic immunotherapy induces HIV virus specific Th1 cytotoxic response and death of an HIV-1 infected human cell line through classic complement activation. Virol J 2013; 10:107. [PMID: 23557359 PMCID: PMC3626621 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This manuscript describes the development of a novel synthetic immunotherapy (HIV-v) composed of four multi-epitope polypeptides targeting conserved regions in the Nef, Rev, Vif and Vpr viral proteins. Immunogenicity and cytotoxicity of HIV-v are discussed. Methods Short conserved T-cell multi-epitope regions were identified in silico in the HIV proteome. The immunogenicity of the identified HIV-v polypeptides was assessed in vivo by immunisation of C57BLK6 mice transgenic for HLA-A*0201. Splenocytes from immunised animals were exposed in vitro to soluble HIV-v polypeptides or to syngeneic (T1) or allogeneic (Jurkat) cells transfected with these polypeptides. Specific T-cell reactivity was assessed by cell-based IFN-γ ELISA. Virus specific CD3 + CD8+ IFN-γ+ recall responses were also determined by flow cytometry following in vitro exposure of splenocytes from immunised mice to syngeneic (T1) and allogeneic (H9) cells infected with HIV-1 strain IIIB. HIV-v specific antibodies were quantified by ELISA whilst antibody mediated anti-viral immunotherapeutic effect on T1 cells infected with a laboratory adapted and a primary isolate of the HIV-1 virus was assessed in a LDH-based complement mediated lysis assay. Results HIV-v elicited antigen-specific IgG and IFN−γ responses against the synthetic polypeptides in the formulation. HIV-v specific T cells recognised polypeptides presented either as soluble antigen or complexed to HLA-A*0201 following natural processing and presentation by syngeneic human T1 cells. Moreover, the CD3 + CD8+ component of the response recognised syngeneic T1 cells naturally infected with HIV-1 in a virus-specific and MHC restricted-manner. The HIV-v specific IgG response was also able to recognise human T1 cells naturally infected with HIV-1 and induce cell death through classic activation of complement. Conclusions HIV-v induces a vaccine-specific type I immune response characterised by activation of effector CD8+ T cell and antibody responses that recognise and kill human cell lines naturally infected with a laboratory adapted and a primary isolate of the HIV-1 virus. The data supports the hypothesis that alternative HIV protein targets can be effectively used to prime both cellular and antibody immune responses of clinical value in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Pleguezuelos
- Research and Development, SEEK, 45 Beech Street, London, EC2Y 8AD, UK.
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46
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Céspedes N, Vallejo A, Arévalo-Herrera M, Herrera S. Malaria vaccines: high-throughput tools for antigens discovery with potential for their development. Colomb Med (Cali) 2013; 44:121-8. [PMID: 24892459 PMCID: PMC4002024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2012] [Revised: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a disease induced by parasites of the Plasmodium genus, which are transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes and represents a great socio-economic burden Worldwide. Plasmodium vivax is the second species of malaria Worldwide, but it is the most prevalent in Latin America and other regions of the planet. It is currently considered that vaccines represent a cost-effective strategy for controlling transmissible diseases and could complement other malaria control measures; however, the chemical and immunological complexity of the parasite has hindered development of effective vaccines. Recent availability of several genomes of Plasmodium species, as well as bioinformatic tools are allowing the selection of large numbers of proteins and analysis of their immune potential. Herein, we review recently developed strategies for discovery of novel antigens with potential for malaria vaccine development.
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Mueller I, Galinski MR, Tsuboi T, Arevalo-Herrera M, Collins WE, King CL. Natural acquisition of immunity to Plasmodium vivax: epidemiological observations and potential targets. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2013; 81:77-131. [PMID: 23384622 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407826-0.00003-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Population studies show that individuals acquire immunity to Plasmodium vivax more quickly than Plasmodium falciparum irrespective of overall transmission intensity, resulting in the peak burden of P. vivax malaria in younger age groups. Similarly, actively induced P. vivax infections in malaria therapy patients resulted in faster and generally more strain-transcending acquisition of immunity than P. falciparum infections. The mechanisms behind the more rapid acquisition of immunity to P. vivax are poorly understood. Natural acquired immune responses to P. vivax target both pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage antigens and include humoral and cellular components. To date, only a few studies have investigated the association of these immune responses with protection, with most studies focussing on a few merozoite antigens (such as the Pv Duffy binding protein (PvDBP), the Pv reticulocyte binding proteins (PvRBPs), or the Pv merozoite surface proteins (PvMSP1, 3 & 9)) or the circumsporozoite protein (PvCSP). Naturally acquired transmission-blocking (TB) immunity (TBI) was also found in several populations. Although limited, these data support the premise that developing a multi-stage P. vivax vaccine may be feasible and is worth pursuing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Mueller
- Walter + Eliza Hall Institute, Infection & Immunity Division, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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48
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Antigenicity and immunogenicity of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-3. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56061. [PMID: 23457498 PMCID: PMC3573074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 01/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent clinical trial in African children demonstrated the potential utility of merozoite surface protein (MSP)-3 as a vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The present study evaluated the use of Plasmodium vivax MSP-3 (PvMSP-3) as a target antigen in vaccine formulations against malaria caused by P. vivax. Recombinant proteins representing MSP-3α and MSP-3β of P. vivax were expressed as soluble histidine-tagged bacterial fusions. Antigenicity during natural infection was evaluated by detecting specific antibodies using sera from individuals living in endemic areas of Brazil. A large proportion of infected individuals presented IgG antibodies to PvMSP-3α (68.2%) and at least 1 recombinant protein representing PvMSP-3β (79.1%). In spite of the large responder frequency, reactivity to both antigens was significantly lower than was observed for the immunodominant epitope present on the 19-kDa C-terminal region of PvMSP-1. Immunogenicity of the recombinant proteins was studied in mice in the absence or presence of different adjuvant formulations. PvMSP-3β, but not PvMSP-3α, induced a TLR4-independent humoral immune response in the absence of any adjuvant formulation. The immunogenicity of the recombinant antigens were also tested in formulations containing different adjuvants (Alum, Salmonella enterica flagellin, CpG, Quil A,TiterMax® and incomplete Freunds adjuvant) and combinations of two adjuvants (Alum plus flagellin, and CpG plus flagellin). Recombinant PvMSP-3α and PvMSP-3β elicited higher antibody titers capable of recognizing P. vivax-infected erythrocytes harvested from malaria patients. Our results confirm that P. vivax MSP-3 antigens are immunogenic during natural infection, and the corresponding recombinant proteins may be useful in elucidating their vaccine potential.
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Chen X, Pravetoni M, Bhayana B, Pentel PR, Wu MX. High immunogenicity of nicotine vaccines obtained by intradermal delivery with safe adjuvants. Vaccine 2012; 31:159-64. [PMID: 23123021 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.10.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Revised: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 10/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy for tobacco addiction may offer a safe, alternative treatment if the immunogenicity of the current nicotine vaccines can be improved. We show here that intradermal (ID) immunization induces the production of antibody directed against nicotine (NicAb) at a much higher level than conventional intramuscular (IM) immunization. The magnitude and duration of NicAb production was further increased robustly by non-inflammatory laser vaccine adjuvant (LVA), slightly inflammatory monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) or a combination of MPL and CpG adjuvants. Consequently, significantly fewer vaccination doses were required to attain a high level of NicAb production for an extended period of time and reduce nicotine entry into the brain in the presence of LVA, MPL or MPL/CpG adjuvant, respectively. Yet, the potency of these adjuvants to augment ID nicotine vaccine immunogenicity came at the expense of local skin reactogenicity, with LVA causing little skin reaction and MPL/CpG stimulating overt skin irritation. These observations underscore a necessity of a balance between optimal adjuvant potency and undesired local reactogenicity. In summary, our study presents a novel approach to significantly improve nicotine vaccine immunogenicity by a combination of safe cutaneous vaccine adjuvants with ID immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Chen
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States
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Huston WM, Harvie M, Mittal A, Timms P, Beagley KW. Vaccination to protect against infection of the female reproductive tract. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2012; 8:81-94. [PMID: 22149343 DOI: 10.1586/eci.11.80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Infection of the female genital tract can result in serious morbidities and mortalities from reproductive disability, pelvic inflammatory disease and cancer, to impacts on the fetus, such as infant blindness. While therapeutic agents are available, frequent testing and treatment is required to prevent the occurrence of the severe disease sequelae. Hence, sexually transmitted infections remain a major public health burden with ongoing social and economic barriers to prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, while there are two success stories in the development of vaccines to protect against HPV infection of the female reproductive tract, many serious infectious agents impacting on the female reproductive tract still have no vaccines available. Vaccination to prevent infection of the female reproductive tract is an inherently difficult target, with many impacting factors, such as appropriate vaccination strategies/mechanisms to induce a suitable protective response locally in the genital tract, variation in the local immune responses due to the hormonal cycle, selection of vaccine antigen(s) that confers effective protection against multiple variants of a single pathogen (e.g., the different serovars of Chlamydia trachomatis) and timing of the vaccine administration prior to infection exposure. Despite these difficulties, there are numerous ongoing efforts to develop effective vaccines against these infectious agents and it is likely that this important human health field will see further major developments in the next 5 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilhelmina M Huston
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 60 Musk Avenue, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia.
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