BACKGROUND:In the United States, children receive 2 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) and varicella vaccine (V), the first between ages 1 to 2 years and the second between ages 4 to 6 years. Among 1- to 2-year-olds, the risk of febrile seizures 7 to 10 days after MMRV is double ...

Recombinant DNA technology offers several approaches to convert allergens into hypoallergenic derivatives that can represent the basis of novel, safer and more effective forms of allergy vaccines. In this context, we used a new strategy for the design of a hypoallergenic derivative of Ole e 1, the main allergen of ...

A major challenge for Streptococcus pyogenes vaccine development is the identification of epitopes that confer protection from infection by multiple S. pyogenes M-types. Here we have identified and characterised the distribution of common variant sequences from individual repeat units of the C-repeat region (CRR) of M-proteins representing 77 different M-types. ...

Immune responses to vaccines in infants and young children are typically Th2-biased, giving rise to concerns regarding potential atopy-like side effects, and antagonism of Th1-associated sterilising immunity. Conventional immunological methodology has limited capacity to effectively address these problems because of the inherent complexity of the immune responses involved. In the ...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) represent an attractive delivery vehicle for oral allergy vaccine because of their safety as a food microorganism as well as their potent adjuvant activity triggering anti-allergic immune response. Here, we report the generation of recombinant LAB expressing a major Japanese cedar pollen allergen Cry j 1 ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In clinical trials, immunopotentiating reconstituted influenza virosomes (IRIVs) have shown great potential as a versatile antigen delivery platform for synthetic peptides derived from Plasmodium falciparum antigens. This study describes the immunogenicity of a virosomally-formulated recombinant fusion protein comprising domains of the two malaria vaccine candidate antigens MSP3 and ...

The GP5 glycoprotein of PRRSV is the main target for inducing neutralizing antibodies and protective immunity in the natural host. The capsid (Cap) protein is the major immunogenic protein and associated with the production of PCV2-specific neutralizing antibodies. In the present study, one genetic recombinant baculovirus BacSC-Dual-GP5-Cap was constructed. This ...

Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is an attenuated strain of vaccinia virus that is being considered as a safer alternative to replicating vaccinia vaccine strains such as Dryvax(®) and ACAM2000. Its excellent safety profile and large genome also make it an attractive vector for the delivery of heterologous genes from ...

Hundred years ago therapeutic vaccination with allergen-containing extracts has been introduced as a clinically effective, disease-modifying, allergen-specific and long-lasting form of therapy for allergy, a hypersensitivity disease affecting more than 25% of the population. Today, the structures of most of the disease-causing allergens have been elucidated and recombinant hypoallergenic allergen ...

Background. A mass vaccination has been implemented to prevent the spread of 2009 pandemic influenza virus in China. Highly limited information is available on whether this vaccine induces cross-reactive neutralization antibodies against other subtypes of influenza viruses.Methods. We employed pseudovirus-based assays to analyze heterosubtypic neutralization responses in serum samples of 23 recipients ...

In order to create a safe tolerogenic antigen with reduced IgE reactivity, we developed transgenic rice that accumulates in the seed endosperm a sufficient amount of Cry j 2, the cedar pollen allergen, in a restructured form of tail-to-head, providing a feasible mucosal allergy vaccine against cedar pollinosis.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for many vaccine preventable deaths, annually causing around 1 million deaths in children below 5 years of age. A new generation of pneumococcal vaccines based on conserved proteins is being developed. We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of four pneumococcal protein vaccine candidates: PcsB, StkP, ...

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV), is a serious disease of swine and contributes to severe worldwide economic losses in swine production. Current vaccines against PRRS rely on the use of an attenuated-live virus; however, these are unreliable. Thus, alternative effective vaccines against PRRS ...

To break immune tolerance to prion (PrP) proteins using DNA vaccines. Four different human prion DNA vaccine candidates were constructed based on the pcDNA3.1 vector: PrP-WT expressing wild-type PrP, Ubiq-PrP expressing PrP fused to ubiquitin, PrP-LII expressing PrP fused to the lysosomal integral membrane protein type II lysosome-targeting signal, and ...

To cite this article: Zhou B, Ensell M, Zhou Y, Nair U, Glickstein J, Kermany MH, Cai Q, Cai C, Liu W, Deng Y-P, Kakigi A, Barbieri M, Mora M, Kanangat S, Yoo TJ. Prevention and treatment of DNA vaccine encoding cockroach allergen Bla g 1 in a mouse model ...

BACKGROUND: Second generation therapeutic vaccines based upon recombinant allergens or natural extracts, potentially formulated in vector systems or adjuvants, are being developed. To this aim, preclinical studies in relevant animal models are needed to select proper allergens, formulations and administration schemes. OBJECTIVE: To develop a chronic house dust mite (HDM) ...

The serine repeat antigen (SERA) protein is a leading candidate molecule for inclusion as a component in a multi-antigen, multi-stage, minimal subunit-based, chemically synthesised anti-malarial vaccine. Peptides having high red blood cell binding affinity (known as HABPs) have been identified in this protein. The 6733 HABP was located in the ...

The low immunogenicity exhibited by most soluble proteins is generally due to the absence of molecular signatures that are recognized by the immune system as dangerous. In this study, we show that electrostatic binding of synthetic branched cationic or anionic lipopeptides that contain the TLR-2 agonist Pam(2)Cys markedly enhance a ...

To cite this article: Till S. Mechanisms of immunotherapy and surrogate markers. Allergy 2011; 66 (Suppl. 95): 25-27. ABSTRACT: Understanding mechanisms of inducible antigen-specific tolerance will improve immunotherapy and reveal the most relevant biomarkers for objectively measuring response to immunotherapy in clinical trials and routine practice. Various physiological and laboratory ...

Although the major capsid proteins (MCPs) of lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) have been characterized, little is known about the host-derived immune response to MCPs and other LCDV antigenic proteins. To identify antigenic proteins of LCDV that could be used as vaccine candidates in olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, we analysed the ...

Epidemiological assessments of patients and studies using animal models show that exposure to Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine in early life prevents asthma development. However, little is known about the potential of neonatal BCG vaccination in preventing the development of airway remodeling of asthma. To investigate the effects of ...

IgE-mediated allergies affect more than 25% of the population. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is an antigen-specific and disease-modifying form of treatment. It is based on the therapeutic administration of the disease-causing allergens to allergic patients. However, the fact that only allergen extracts of insufficient quality are currently available and the possible ...

Rhodococcus equi remains a significant pathogen, causing severe pneumonia in foals. The development of vaccines and serologic diagnosis could be greatly facilitated by studying the humoral immune response to this equine pathogen. In this study, a crude extract of R. equi ATCC 33701-secreted proteins combined with the Montanide® ISA70 adjuvant ...

Structural vaccinology is an emerging strategy for the rational design of vaccine candidates. We successfully applied structural vaccinology to design a fully synthetic protein with multivalent protection activity. In Group B Streptococcus, cell-surface pili have aroused great interest because of their direct roles in virulence and importance as protective antigens. ...

Numerous allergens have been cloned and produced by the use of recombinant DNA technology. In several cases recombinant variants with reduced IgE-reactivity have also been developed as candidates for allergen specific immunotherapy. Only very few of these proteins have as yet been tested in the clinic, and the major focus ...

Specific immunotherapy is a well established and clinically proved strategy to cure allergic reactions. The impressive boost of knowledge derived from DNA recombinant technology applied to this field allowed the identification, cloning and expression of several clinically relevant allergens. Recombinant allergens can be easily produced in a pure and reproducible ...

The prevalence of allergic diseases, particularly asthma and allergic rhinitis, has increased tremendously in Thailand and worldwide. House dust mite (HDM) is the major IgE sensitizer among allergic children and adults. We have developed local standardized mite allergen extracts, Siriraj Mite Allergen Vaccine (SMAV) from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and Dermatophagoides ...

Hepatitis B Virus encodes HBX, which is considered to be responsible for virus infection in mammals. The HBx modulates the signal transduction pathways toward the aetiological aspects of establishing liver cancer. In this context, to predict epitopes from three HBX protein (for vaccine designs), use of certain computational tools are ...

Several conserved neutralizing epitopes have been identified in the HIV Env protein and among these, the MPER of gp41 has received great attention and is widely recognized as a promising target. However, little success has been achieved in eliciting MPER-specific HIV neutralizing antibodies by a number of different vaccine strategies. ...

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus continues to cause disease in poultry and humans. The hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein is the primary target for subunit vaccine development. We used baculovirus-insect cell expression to obtain trimeric recombinant HA (rHA) proteins from two HPAI H5N1 viruses. We investigated trimeric rHA ...

Malaria greatly impacts the health and wellbeing of over half of the world's population. Promising malaria vaccine candidates have attempted to induce adaptive immune responses to Circumsporozoite (CS) protein. Despite the inclusion of potent adjuvants, these vaccines have limited protective efficacy. Conventional recombinant adenovirus (rAd) based vaccines expressing CS protein ...

Abstract While the long-term goal is to develop highly effective AIDS vaccines, first generation vaccines may be only partially effective. Other HIV prevention modalities such as preexposure prophylaxis with antiretrovirals (PrEP) may have limited efficacy as well. The combined administration of vaccine and PrEP (VAXPREP), however, may have a synergistic ...

HIV/AIDS continue to devastate populations worldwide. Recent studies suggest that vaccines that induce beneficial immune responses in the mucosal compartment may improve the efficacy of HIV vaccines. Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-based vectors remain a promising platform for the development of effective vaccines. In an effort to improve the efficacy of ...

This is the first study examining motivation to participate in an HIV therapeutic vaccine trial of Remune and ALVAC. Trial participants (N=49) completed psychological measures at baseline. While 69% reported some personal risk in participating, 100% felt hopeful for societal benefits. Trial participants also reported high levels of existential well-being ...

The first evidence of modest effectiveness of an HIV vaccine was demonstrated by the RV144 trial in Thailand in 2009. Although promising, this vaccine has largely been dismissed because it only had 30% efficacy. In contrast, male circumcision is widely supported and has approximately twice the efficacy, but can only ...

Since HIV-1 was identified, development of a preventive vaccine has been a major goal. Significant progress toward that goal has been made by 2010. In macaques, a vigorous T effector cell response has protected some animals from disease caused by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Broadly, neutralizing human anti-HIV antibodies have ...

The risk of pneumococcal disease persists, and antibody responses to revaccination with the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) are low among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults. We determined whether revaccination with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would enhance these responses. In a randomized clinical trial, we compared the immunogenicity of ...

Previously demonstrated safe and highly immunogenic in non-human primates, this study assessed DNA (pHIS-HIV-AE) prime, recombinant fowlpox (rFPV-HIV-AE) boost vaccines in humans. Eight participants (6 active vaccine, 2 placebo) received all vaccinations; local and systemic reactions were mild to moderate. The percentage CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells responding to HIV-1 ...

The New Zealand white rabbit model (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is widely used to test whether HIV vaccine candidates elicit systemic antibody responses; however, its use in mucosal immunology has not been fully exploited due to the difficulty in collecting mucosal specimens longitudinally and reproducibly. Here we describe feasible and non-feasible methods ...

To evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the H1N1 2009 vaccine in HIV-positive individuals. A single-arm study. Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. HIV-infected adults with an indication for H1N1 vaccination. Single intramuscular 15 microg dose of the monovalent, unadjuvanted, inactivated, split virus H1N1 ...

People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of HCV. Limited evidence of the effectiveness of prevention interventions and low uptake of treatment in this group highlight the need for increased investment in biomedical interventions, notably safe and efficacious vaccines. While several candidates are currently in development, field trials ...

Two phase IIb test-of-concept studies evaluated the replication-defective adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) vaccine MRK gag/pol/nef HIV vaccine to prevent infection or decrease early plasma viral load in disparate populations. The STEP study enrolled men and women in the Americas, Caribbean and Australia; the Phambili trial enrolled men and women in ...

The large human efficacy trail in Thailand, RV144, was concluded in the summer of 2009. This is the first Phase III trial to show limited, but significant, efficacy in preventing HIV acquisition. This trial represents the first sign that a preventive vaccine for HIV may be feasible. The vaccine regimen ...

In this review, we will provide the scientific rationale for the use of poxvirus vectors in the field of HIV vaccines, the immunological profile of the vaccine-induced immune responses, an update on the current use of poxvirus vector-based vaccines in HIV vaccine clinical trials, and the development of new modified ...

To consider how nonhuman primate (NHP) model systems can best contribute to HIV vaccine development. We review the traditional roles of NHP model systems in vaccine development and compare this with how NHP models have been used in HIV vaccine research and development. Comparisons of the immune responses elicited by ...

An effective HIV vaccine is a global health priority. We describe lessons learned from four HIV vaccine trials that failed to demonstrate efficacy and one that showed modest protection as a pathway forward. The Merck Ad5 phase IIb T-cell vaccine failed to show efficacy and might have increased the risk ...

This review covers the role of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (the Enterprise), an alliance of independent organizations committed to development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine. It discusses the history, impact on the field, and future directions and initiatives of the alliance in the context of recent progress ...

The symposium "HIV/AIDS: Vaccines and Alternate Strategies for Treatment and Prevention" brought together HIV vaccine researchers to discuss the latest developments in the field. From basic discoveries in virus diversity and mechanisms of neutralization by antibodies to nonhuman primate research and clinical trials of vaccine candidates in volunteers, scientists are ...

This review summarizes recent developments related to cofactors that may influence response to vaccination. The unexpected increased HIV acquisition among vaccinees in the Step trial with prior exposure to adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) led to several studies trying to understand whether an underlying biological risk factor may have been responsible ...

Vaccination of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with a CD4 cell count ≥ 200/mm³ is strongly suggested prior to travel to a region where yellow fever (YF) is endemic. However, few data describing YF vaccination in such patients are available. In this retrospective observational study of 23 HIV-infected patients, ...