James Crowe’s Post

In our recently published Science Translational Medicine paper, we describe the design and use of multispecific antibodies that neutralize diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants and confer protection in vivo. These results support the untapped potential for multispecific antibodies to prevent or treat diseases such as COVID-19 that present viral antigenic variation as a core challenge.     Terrific team effort for ModeX spearheaded by Chih-Jen Wei, Ronnie Wei, John Mascola, Gary Nabel. We would also like to thank our collaborators: Dr. Nancy J Sullivan, Dr. John Misasi, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), Dr. Koup, Richard and colleagues at the Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), The National Institutes of Health.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eEg7JBZE

#mRNA vaccine targeting Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes in varying S. aureus infection conditions. The mSEB mRNA vaccine (10 μg per mouse) was shown to induce more robust and persistent immune responses, including higher antibody titers and specific cellular immune responses, compared to immunization with 30 μg of mSEB protein adjuvanted with aluminum phosphate. Additionally, the anti-SEB mRNA antibody maintains secretion of anti-SEB monoclonal antibody (mAb) with a dosage that is 10 times lower than purified protein administration. 

📢Daily Paper Sharing: The immune response of nano carbon-based photic-driving vaccines to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 #nano #COVID19 #vaccine #immunology 👥 Authors: Junming Chen, Qiang Wang, Fenfen Zhang, Jianshe Yang 🔑 Keywords: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, carbon nanotube, photic-driving, vaccines, immune response, allostery, epitope 🎯 "...In the future, findings of the highly efficient and conservative T cell epitopes depending on an intelligent chem-physical modulation would provide a promising basis for the development of next generation vaccines. Ideally, these next generation vaccines are prone to be with the function of dynamic allostery responding to the chem-physical changing and present the allosteric epitopes which are affinity to the viral variation." 👤 Academic Editor: Nitin Saksena, Victoria University, Australia 🏷️ Belongs to special issue: Immunology, Immunopathology and Genomics of SARS-COV-2 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gDT89AuW

A next generation prophylactic antibody for RSV...? A potent broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody targeting a conserved region of the prefusion RSV F protein. "In this study, we characterized a nAb termed 5B11 against RSV, which showed potent and balanced neutralizing efficacy against both RSV-A and -B subgroups. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures, combined with escape mutant selection, demonstrated that 5B11 targeted a highly conserved and immunologically tolerant epitope within site V, surpassing nirsevimab in comparison. Moreover, in vivo prophylaxis assays indicated that 5B11 necessitated merely one-tenth the dose of 1129 to potently neutralize two RSV subgroups and exhibited a superior capability to prevent B18537 infection than nirsevimab. Therefore, nAb 5B11 emerges as a credible and potent alternative for passive antibody therapeutics." https://lnkd.in/dsuYsXrs

📢Daily Paper Sharing: The immune response of nano carbon-based photic-driving vaccines to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 #nano #COVID19 #vaccine #immunology 👥 Authors: Junming Chen, Qiang Wang, Fenfen Zhang, Jianshe Yang 🔑 Keywords: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, carbon nanotube, photic-driving, vaccines, immune response, allostery, epitope 🎯 "...In the future, findings of the highly efficient and conservative T cell epitopes depending on an intelligent chem-physical modulation would provide a promising basis for the development of next generation vaccines. Ideally, these next generation vaccines are prone to be with the function of dynamic allostery responding to the chem-physical changing and present the allosteric epitopes which are affinity to the viral variation." 👤 Academic Editor: Nitin Saksena, Victoria University, Australia 🏷️ Belongs to special issue: Immunology, Immunopathology and Genomics of SARS-COV-2 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gbHgE7qS

HDT Bio announces receipt of a 5-year $4.23 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the mechanisms of self-amplifying RNA vaccines, awarded to Dr. Taishi Kimura, Senior Scientist at HDT. This project focuses on understanding how RNA vaccines work at the molecular and cellular levels to activate strong adaptive immune responses against the encoded antigen. His research leverages LION™ nanocarriers, HDT's proprietary platform that keeps the vaccine localized in muscle and nearby lymph nodes, reducing systemic side effects while enhancing immune activation. By studying the role of muscle and immune cells in driving this response, Dr. Kimura and colleagues aim to uncover strategies for maximizing vaccine efficacy with minimal reactogenicity. Stay tuned for updates as we push the boundaries of vaccine technology to combat viral and cancer threats to human health! Dr. Kimura earned his PhD in Immunology from Osaka University, studying innate immune evasion by viral mRNA elements. He additionally studied enterovirus pathogenesis at Scripps Research before joining HDT Bio in 2021, where he now leads mechanistic studies on repRNA immunology as a Senior Scientist.

New research led by Flinders University and international experts is expanding understanding of #vaccine -induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (known as VITT). At the height of the COVID-19 #covid19 #pandemic in 2021, VITT emerged as a new disease following adenovirus vector-based #vaccines —notably the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. VITT was found to be caused by an unusually dangerous blood #autoantibody directed against a protein termed platelet factor 4 (or PF4). In separate research in 2023, researchers from Canada, North America, Germany and Italy described a virtually identical disorder with the same PF4 antibody that was fatal in some cases after natural #adenovirus (common cold) infection. Flinders University researchers Dr. Jing Jing Wang and Flinders Professor Tom Gordon, Head of #immunology at SA Pathology in South Australia, led a previous study in 2022 which cracked the molecular code of the PF4 antibody and identified a genetic risk factor related to an #antibody #gene termed IGLV3.21*02. Now, the Flinders group has collaborated with this international group of researchers to find that the PF4 antibodies in both adenovirus infection-associated VITT and classic adenoviral vectored VITT share identical molecular fingerprints or signatures. The research will also have implications for improving vaccine development, says Flinders University researcher Dr. Wang, first author on the article published in the NEJM and titled "Antibody Fingerprints Linking Adenoviral Anti-PF4 Disorders." "These findings, using a completely new approach for targeting blood antibodies developed at Flinders University, indicate a common triggering factor on virus and vaccine structures that initiates the pathological pF4 antibodies," explains Professor Gordon. https://lnkd.in/e_Hg-kgk FDA World Health Organization #nih #cdc #mrna

🚀 Breakthrough in Vaccine Development! 🦠 Researchers have unveiled a promising vaccine candidate designed to combat SARS-CoV-2 using a multi-epitope strategy. By targeting essential viral proteins, this innovative approach aims to elicit a robust immune response, enhancing protection against various strains of the virus. 🔍 Key Highlights: - Incorporates 13 B-cell, 19 helper T-cell, and 18 cytotoxic T-cell epitopes for comprehensive immune activation. - Rigorous testing confirms the vaccine's non-toxic and non-allergenic profile. - Effective binding to ACE-2 receptors suggests strong potential for immunological response. This cutting-edge research underscores the importance of computational biology in modern vaccine design, paving the way for more resilient and adaptable solutions against emerging infectious diseases. Stay tuned as ongoing studies will validate these findings through laboratory and clinical trials! 👉 Click on the link to learn more about this exciting development! #Immunology #Innovation #Pharma #PublicHealth #Publications #RegulatoryAgencies #SARSCoV2 #VaccineDevelopment #MarketAccess #MarketAccessToday

Exciting breakthrough: Recent research highlights vaccination's crucial role in fighting viral infections, emphasizing the importance of antibody diversity for cross-protective immunity. Globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), found abundantly on germinal center (GC) B cells, emerges as pivotal. Through innovative experiments, researchers have reveal Gb3's influence on B cell function, regulating affinity maturation and antibody diversity. Gb3 enhances B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, promoting high-affinity antibody production, and supports major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) expression, aiding T follicular helper (TFH) cell activation and antibody diversity. As an influenza vaccine adjuvant, Gb3 triggers broad antibody responses, promising cross-protective immunity against diverse viral strains. Shout out to my flatmate and the lead researcher on this amazing project Pankaj Sharma #Immunology #Vaccines #ResearchBreakthroughs https://lnkd.in/gTZHVhr4

𝐦𝐑𝐍𝐀-𝐋𝐍𝐏 + 𝐬𝐜𝐁𝐂𝐑-𝐬𝐞𝐪: 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 As a clinical vaccine, lipid nanoparticle (LNP) mRNA has demonstrated potent and broad antibody responses, leading to speculation about its potential for antibody discovery. Here, a highly efficient strategy for monoclonal antibody discovery has been developed that employs rapid mRNA immunization of mice followed by single B cell sequencing (scBCR-seq). Furthermore, the application has been extended to cancer therapy targets, including a single transmembrane protein CD22 and a multi-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor target, GPRC5D, which is difficult for traditional protein immunization methods. The combination of mRNA-LNP + scBCR-seq is a powerful platform for the rapid and efficient development of monoclonal antibodies against an assortment of targets. #LNP #mRNA #AntibodyDiscovery Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gTuzBUwX