Category Archives: Immunology

Immunology

A mother’s blood may carry the secret to one type of autism – EurekAlert

Autism is a neurodevelopment condition affecting 1 in 44 children in the U.S. It has a wide range of characteristics with different intensities and causes. One type of autism is maternal autoantibodyrelated autism spectrum disorder (MAR ASD).

MAR ASD is marked by the presence of specific maternal immune proteins known as autoantibodies that react to certain proteins found in the fetal brain. The maternal autoantibodies (IgG) cross the placenta and access the developing brain. Once there, they may cause changes in the way the brain develops in the offspring, leading to behaviors linked to autism.

Two new UC Davis MIND Institute studies are expanding our understanding of this type of autism. They found support for predictive protein patterns in the blood of expecting mothers and links of MAR ASD to higher intensities of autistic traits.

MAR ASD patterns linked to autism before birth

The MIND Institutes Judy Van de Water and a team of researchers showed that autoantibody binding to nine specific combinations of proteins (known as MAR ASD patterns) successfully predicts autism in previously diagnosed children. They tested maternal blood samples collected during pregnancy to see if they could validate the identified patterns. They wanted to see if the patterns accurately predicted autism in the children. Their study findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Previously, we identified nine patterns linked to MAR ASD. In this study, we wanted to check the accuracy of these patterns in predicting MAR ASD. To do that, we tested plasma from pregnant mothers, collected by the Early Markers for Autism (EMA) study, said Van de Water, the studys senior author. Van de Water is a UC Davis professor of immunology and neurodevelopment.

The study screened the plasma of 540 mothers of autistic children, 184 mothers of kids with intellectual disability but no autism, and 420 general population mothers of kids with no known autism or intellectual disability at the time of the study.

It found reactivity to at least one of the nine MAR ASD patterns in 10% of the autistic group. This is compared with 4% of the intellectual disability group for some patterns, and 1% of the general population group. Four patterns were present only in mothers whose children were later diagnosed with autism, making those particular autoantibody patterns highly predictive.

The study also found that a mother with reactivity to any one of the nine MAR ASD patterns has around 8 times the chance of having an autistic child.

Several MAR ASD patterns were strongly associated with autism with intellectual disability. Others were linked to autism without intellectual disability. The protein pattern most strongly linked to autism was (CRMP1+CRMP2). It increased the likelihood of an autism diagnosis by 16 times and was not found in the non-autism groups.

MAR ASD similarly present across states

Previous research found the MAR subtype of autism in 20% of a Northern California sample of autistic kids Yet, until now, this type of autism has not been studied in any state besides California.

A team of researchers led by Kathleen Angkustsiri explored MAR ASD in two new clinical sites: the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Arkansas Childrens Hospital and Research Institute (ACHRI). Their study, published in The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, recruited 68 mothers of autistic children ages 2-12 years. The mothers provided blood samples and completed behavioral questionnaires about their children.

The study also included data from the children's clinical diagnostic assessments. It used established diagnostic measures known as ADOS (the autism diagnostic observation schedule) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) to assess the childrens autistic characteristics.

MAR ASD was present in 21% of CHOPs and 26% of ACHRIs samples. Overall, 23.5% of the blood samples were considered MAR positive (+MAR), showing autoantibodies reacting to known MAR ASD protein patterns.

Our study showed similar MAR ASD frequencies in two other states similar to what we observed in Northern California, Angkustsiri said. Angkustsiri is an associate professor of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at UC Davis Children's Hospital and the UC Davis MIND Institute and the studys lead author. This suggests that the prevalence of MAR ASD is consistent across different demographics and geographic settings.

MAR ASD and autism characteristics

The study also examined the link between MAR ASD and autism severity. It showed that children of mothers with +MAR antibodies had higher autism severity scores than those of -MAR mothers. It did not find significant differences in their IQ, adaptive function or unusual behavior.

MAR ASD positivity may be linked to more severe autism behaviors, Angkustsiri said. Both the SCQ reported by parents and the ADOS assessed by clinicians supported these findings.

Further study is needed to understand why mothers develop these antibodies and how long these antibodies may persist. Testing for MAR ASD patterns can be used to assess the probability of a child having autism before characteristics are present. The researchers aim to develop an accurate clinical test to provide clinicians with more tools for an earlier diagnosis of ASD.

We hope our work can help develop better-tailored services based on the type of autism and the child's strengths and specific challenges, Van de Water said.

###

Co-authors on Van de Waters study are Alexandra Ramirez-Celis, Joseph Schauer and Paul Ashwood from UC Davis, Lisa Croen, Cathleen Yoshida and Stacey Alexeeff from Kaiser Permanente, and Robert Yolken from Johns Hopkins University. Funding was provided by the NIEHS Center for Childrens Environmental Health and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants (2P01ES011269-11, 83543201), the NIEHS-funded EMA study (R01ES016669), the NICHD-funded IDDRC (P50HD103526) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT- UC MEXUS) Doctoral Fellowships.

Co-authors on Angkustsiris study are Jill Fussell, Amanda Bennett, Joseph Schauer, Alexandra Ramirez-Celis, Robin Hansen and Judy Van de Water. The study was funded by the DBPNet Young Investigator Award UT5MC42432 and the NICHD-funded IDDRC (P50HD103526)

The authors recognize that medical terms such as symptom and severity are pathologizing and are making efforts to move away from this historical terminology. In this paper, the analysis is based on the calibrated severity score generated from the use of the diagnostic test the ADOS, which is why theyre using them in this instance.

Molecular Psychiatry

Maternal autoantibody profiles as biomarkers for ASD and ASD with co-occurring intellectual disability

26-May-2022

Judy Van de Water has patents issued for this technology and has founded a UC Davis startup company to develop this technology. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Read the rest here:
A mother's blood may carry the secret to one type of autism - EurekAlert

Immunology

Dried samples of saliva and fingertip blood are useful in monitoring responses to coronavirus vaccines – EurekAlert

Based on an antibody study, dried samples of easily self-collected saliva and of blood drawn from the fingertip could be useful for monitoring peoples immune responses to vaccination.

In a study by the University of Helsinki and HUS Helsinki University Hospital, the levels of antibodies associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus were analysed in more than 1,200 employees in the social welfare and healthcare sector to determine whether there were differences in different antibody classes according to viral exposure. Dried saliva and blood samples collected between January and March 2021 were utilised in the study. The exposure and background data were collected using a questionnaire.

Based on the results, immunoglobulin G (IgG) has a 99.5% sensitivity and 75.3% specificity to distinguish people with two vaccinations from non-exposed and exposed individuals, individuals with previous Covid-19 infection, and those with one vaccination. IgG measured from saliva also had an 85.3% sensitivity and 65.7% specificity in distinguishing people with two vaccinations from the other groups.

The results of the study have been published in the Medical Microbiology and Immunology journal.

The study attested to the exposure of social welfare and healthcare employees to coronavirus, visible in the results as elevated antibody levels. A total of 47.5% of nurses and 47.7% of doctors were seropositive due to either a previous infection, vaccination or exposure, whereas only 8.7% of dentists had been exposed to the virus. In addition to dentists, the lowest antibody levels were observed in administrative staff and social workers.

The highest antibody levels in both the blood and saliva were found in those who had both had Covid-19 and had been vaccinated. The lowest antibody levels were seen in individuals who had not been exposed to the virus, who had not had a previous infection and who had not received a vaccination.

Against our expectations, there have been fewer coronavirus infections and instances of exposure among dental care staff compared to, for example, hospital doctors, even though a lot of aerosol-producing procedures are carried out close to the patient in dental care, researcher Laura Lahdentausta says.

At the time of sample collection, the dental care staff had also received the lowest number of coronavirus vaccines, which was reflected in their antibody levels.

Another goal of the study was to develop research methods. In fact, the study provides important information on the use of saliva in the determination of antibody levels.

Based on the results, dried samples reliably reveal antibodies associated with the virus, says Professor Pirkko Pussinen.

The benefit of dried saliva and fingertip blood samples is that they are easy to collect. Samples can be taken at home outside laboratory conditions. Their collection is inexpensive and, in the case of saliva samples, non-invasive.

In the future, this assay technique based on dried spot samples could be effectively utilised to monitor both the immune response produced by vaccination and the need for vaccines in large patient populations, Pussinen adds.

Original article: Lahdentausta L, Kivimki A, Oksanen L, Tallgren M, Oksanen S, Sanmark E, Salminen A, Geneid A, Sairanen M, Paju S, Saksela K, Pussinen P, Pietiinen M. Blood and saliva SARS-Cov-2 antibody levels in self-collected dried spot samples. Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Doi 10.1007/s00430-022-00740-x

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Survey

People

Blood and saliva SARS-Cov-2 antibody levels in self-collected dried spot samples

13-Jun-2022

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Read more from the original source:
Dried samples of saliva and fingertip blood are useful in monitoring responses to coronavirus vaccines - EurekAlert

Immunology

DE Shaw Research Licenses First-in-Class Therapeutic for Immunological Diseases to Lilly – PR Newswire UK

NEW YORK, June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- D. E.Shaw Research (DESRES) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for the clinical development and commercialization of DESRES's program of Kv1.3-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of various immunological and inflammatory diseases.

The lead compound, DES-7114, is an orally administered, highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of the ion channel protein Kv1.3. This first-in-class compound recently completed successful Phase 1 clinical trials in healthy volunteers and has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of several chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and atopic dermatitis.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will make an initial payment of $60 million to DESRES, with potential development and commercial milestone payments of up to $475 million, as well as royalties on worldwide sales.

The design of DES-7114 by DESRES was enabled by the use of proprietary special-purpose supercomputers that DESRES developed and constructed to perform ultra-high-speed, atomically detailed simulations of the three-dimensional motion of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules. A series of such simulations, in combination with experimental studies, resulted in DESRES's unique understanding of Kv1.3's structural, dynamic, and functional properties, leading to the design of compounds that bind strongly to the target protein while likely avoiding undesirable interactions with other ion channels.

"We're enthusiastic about DES-7114's potential, and are hopeful that it will ultimately have a meaningful impact on the lives of patients throughout the world," said DavidE.Shaw, Ph.D., chief scientist at DESRES. "We're also enthusiastic about teaming up with Lilly, which is one of the global leaders in therapeutics for immunological diseases, and is exceptionally well positioned to carry the compound forward through clinical development and commercialization."

"Kv1.3 inhibition represents a promising new approach in immunology," said AjayNirula, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of immunology at Lilly. "We are particularly excited about DESRES's discovery of DES-7114 because the molecule's properties could translate into significant advantages for addressing unmet patient needs."

About D. E. Shaw Research

D.E.Shaw Research (DESRES) uses advanced computational technologies to understand the behavior of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules at an atomic level of detail, and to design precisely targeted, highly selective drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Among its core technologies is a proprietary special-purpose supercomputer that it designed and constructed to perform molecular dynamics simulations more than 100 times faster than the world's fastest general-purpose supercomputers. DESRES uses these machines, together with machine learning methods and other computational techniques, in both internal and collaborative drug discovery programs. For more information, visit http://www.DEShawResearch.com.

ContactMadeleine WeingartenD. E. Shaw ResearchMadeleine.Weingarten@DEShawResearch.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1837394/DESRES_Logo.jpg

SOURCE D. E. Shaw Research

Here is the original post:
DE Shaw Research Licenses First-in-Class Therapeutic for Immunological Diseases to Lilly - PR Newswire UK

Immunology

A New Era: Creating Defenses Against Disease After COVID-19 – The University of Arizona Health Sciences |

As the vortex of the COVID-19 pandemic consumed the world in 2020, scientists worked at a frantic pace to understand the new virus sweeping the globe. The discoveries surrounding SARS-CoV-2 were impressive not only for the speed in which they took place, but also for the new pathways of research they opened.

To the average person, it looked as though scientists were making daily breakthroughs as spike proteins, antibodies and messenger RNA vaccines became topics of everyday conversation. But revolutionary discoveries are rarely Eureka! moments. Instead, scientific advances are almost always the culmination of research that occurs outside of the spotlight. In the realm of immunology, decades of research on the immune system, the human genome and a multitude of other viruses laid the foundation to quickly unravel the mysteries of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

The immediate end goal was met when COVID-19 vaccines and treatments became available. But the impact of that research is far from over, according to Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, keynote speaker at the inaugural University of Arizona Health Sciences Tomorrow is Here Lecture Series. He believes the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to change the future of science.

The pandemic has shown us that the tools are out there to make infectious disease far less burdensome, not only in the U.S., but globally, said Dr. Bhattacharya, professor of immunobiology in the UArizona College of Medicine Tucson and BIO5 Institute member. We've shown what our technology can do and what our responses can be, and I don't see any reason to accept the status quo anymore.

One of the pandemics biggest lessons, Dr. Bhattacharya said, is that the basics matter.

When people say the COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time, they really weren't, Dr. Bhattacharya said. They were built on the backs of decades of research that allowed us to move quickly.

Three decades before an unknown virus surfaced in Wuhan, China, scientists were undertaking a massive endeavor known as the Human Genome Project. The intent was to sequence and map all of the genes 3 billion in total that make up the human genome.

In the beginning, the available technology was unreliable and slow, preventing researchers from sequencing more than a few hundred genes at a time. As technology improved, sequencing rates increased dramatically, and in April 2003, the Human Genome Project succeeded in reading the complete genetic blueprint of a human being.

We've shown what our technology can do and what our responses can be, and I don't see any reason to accept the status quo anymore.Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD

The Human Genome Project was criticized by people who asked, What are we really learning from this? What diseases have been cured by understanding and knowing the human genome sequence? Dr. Bhattacharya said. But it's important not to just focus on immediately translatable outcomes. Think about all of the outcomes that came as a result of that project, some of which undoubtedly were the sequencing technologies.

The same sequencing technologies that unraveled the mysteries of the human genome could be applied to viruses. Fast forward to January 2020, and within weeks of being confronted by an unknown pathogen, scientists sequenced and identified the novel coronavirus they dubbed SARS-CoV-2.

Some of the technologies people criticized for not necessarily having an immediate translational impact, now very obviously did, Dr. Bhattacharya said.

The Human Genome Project started in 1990, but the research that laid the foundation for the COVID-19 vaccines has an even longer history. As early as the mid-1970s, immunologists were studying common coronaviruses that affected other species, including mouse hepatitis virus.

It was, in some ways, thankless work. The researchers were asked, why are you studying this? This is a mouse coronavirus why do you care what disease it causes? Dr. Bhattacharya said. What the pandemic has shown us is that those studies taught us an awful lot in terms of preparedness. From these studies, it turned out that the immune response needed to be aimed at a particular protein that the virus makes called spike.

Identifying the viruss Achilles heel wasnt enough, though. Researchers needed to find a way to engineer the spike protein to create an immune response against the virus. That work happened at the National Institutes of Healths Vaccine Research Center. There, scientists were studying respiratory syncytial virus, which causes severe respiratory infections in children, and another common coronavirus that causes cold-like symptoms.

Once engineered, the spike protein needed to be safely delivered to the cells nucleus without killing the cell. Again, the answer came from research that was decades in the making in this case, messenger RNA (mRNA) research at the University of Pennsylvania.

All of that early work that sort of circuitous path science sometimes takes led us to figure out the perfect solution to generate vaccines and immune responses to emerging pathogens, said Dr. Bhattacharya.

On the scientific front, one of the biggest applications from the pandemic can be found in the immunology that led to the development of the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines.

I think structure-based vaccinology is the wave of the future, said Dr. Bhattacharya, whose primary research focuses on a family of viruses known as flaviviruses, which cause diseases including dengue, Zika, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever and West Nile. The pandemic really showed the power of that particular approach to actually control the immune system and what it's aimed at. Some of the technologies that came from COVID-19 can absolutely be applied to the flaviviruses, as well.

Dr. Bhattacharya, who hopes to develop an effective vaccine for flaviviruses, says none of the flaviviruses have come close to causing the worldwide destruction perpetuated by SARS-CoV-2, though scientists were surprised by the spread of the Zika virus, which reached epidemic status in Brazil in 2016. Still, no one knows which virus could be the source of the next pandemic.

We don't really know what's going to come next, so that means studying families of not just viruses, but also bacteria and fungi, and building up that broad knowledge base and technology that allows us to move quickly, he said. Prevention and preparedness are worth many tons of cure for infectious diseases.

See original here:
A New Era: Creating Defenses Against Disease After COVID-19 - The University of Arizona Health Sciences |

Immunology

3 summers of COVID and now monkeypox – you have questions, Vaneet has answers – WUKY

From UK Now:

Monkeypox has exploded into the news recently, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closely tracking cases that have been recently reported in several countries that dont normally have monkeypox activity, including the U.S.

University of Kentucky immunology and virology expert Ilhem Messaoudi, Ph.D., answered our questions about the monkeypox virus. Messaoudi, chair of the College of Medicines Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, shares what you need to know about monkeypox including symptoms, risk and treatment.

Q: What is monkeypox?

A: Monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which is a member of the orthopoxvirus genus within the Poxviridae family. It is in the same genus as variola virus, which causes smallpox.

Is Monkeypox the next COVID? No. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox is contagious once the person has developed symptoms, and it is not easily transmitted between individuals. Vaccines against smallpox/monkeypox are available. We also have access to therapeutics in the form of antiviral and vaccinia immune globulins.

Q: What are the symptoms of monkeypox?

A: The incubation period is often seven to 14 days but can be as long as 21 days. Symptoms first start with chills, fever, aches and swollen lymph nodes. This is followed by the appearance of a rash that progresses to blisters.

Q: How does monkeypox spread?

A: Monkeypox is spread via close prolonged contact with body fluids/lesion materials, for example, by caring for or interacting closely with someone exhibiting symptoms, getting bit by an infected animal or manipulating sick animals, or handling contaminated materials. It can be spread via the respiratory route, mucosal route or through broken skin.

Q: As of now, how would you assess the risk for Kentuckians?

A: The risk for Kentuckians is pretty low. However, please note that there is a suspected case in Virginia. Given global travel and increased activities now that several COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, and the potential of large gatherings at upcoming events, everyone should be vigilant.

Q: How can one best prevent or avoid monkeypox?

A: Practice good hand hygiene, which we should all be very good at by now. If you find yourself in an area where monkeypox has been detected, avoid contact with animals that are sick or found dead. For health care workers caring for monkeypox patients, PPE including respiratory protection and patient isolation are needed.

View post:
3 summers of COVID and now monkeypox - you have questions, Vaneet has answers - WUKY

Immunology

Antibodies in breast milk help shape infants’ gut bacteria and immunity | Cornell Chronicle – Cornell Chronicle

Researchers have known for some time that maternal breast milk provides critical nutrients for newborns, and antibodies from mothers vaccinated against a specific disease-causing bacterium or virus can be transferred via breast milk to babies. Now a new preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators shows that one specific set of antibodies that is induced naturally by gut beneficial bacteria can be transferred from mothers to infants through breast milk and help infants defend against infection-induced diarrheal illness.

The study suggests boosting these naturally-produced antibodies in mothers might enhance infants immunity against bacterial pathogens that cause infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

In the study, published June 10 in Science Immunology, the team focused on a class of antibodies called IgG, which help rid the body of infectious bacteria and viruses.Little was known about how IgG antibodies that are naturally induced by gut bacteria influence infant gut immunity. So the investigators used a mouse model to determine how these IgG antibodies are transferred from a mothers blood to her breast milk and how they protect young mice from Citrobacter rodentium (equivalent to pathogenic E. coli in humans) that causes potentially dangerous intestinal infections.

We found that these IgG antibodies were protective against gut infection in the babies and that we could enhance this protection, said senior author Melody Zeng, an assistant professor of immunology in pediatrics within the Department of Pediatrics and a member of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Childrens Research at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Just as antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus are detected in the breast milk of women who had been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, the researchers sought to confer extra protection against intestinal infections in infants by inducing IgG antibodies that could be transferred this way. They developed a vaccine using a component found in gut bacteria, then immunized female mice with it before they became pregnant.

The same concept, in which vaccination enhances mothers IgG antibody levels and transfers this immunity to her babies, could protect human babies, Zeng said. This strategy could especially benefit premature babies, since they tend to be at much higher risk from diarrheal diseases.

Such infections pose significant dangers for young children in general. Diarrheal illnesses are the second leading cause of death among children under five, according to the World Health Organization.

In their experiments, the researchers, including co-first authors Katherine Sanidad and Mohammed Amir, both postdoctoral associates in the Zeng lab, first demonstrated that when passed to infant mice through breast milk, IgG prevented disease-causing bacteria from attaching themselves to the lining of infants intestines, an early step in infection.

They also studied how IgG interacted with another set of microbes beneficial bacteria that live in the gut to facilitate healthy development of gut bacteria in infants. Scientists are finding that these microbes contribute to the development and function of the immune system. For instance, helpful bacteria train the immune system to recognize their pathogenic relatives.

This study uncovered long-term effects of these protective IgG antibodies too. Mice that never received IgG from their mothers developed abnormal microbial communities within their guts, which led to changes to their immune systems. Specifically, the researchers found an increase in gut immune cells that produce IL-17, a proinflammatory cytokine that is linked to inflammatory diseases. As adults, the IgG-deprived mice were more susceptible to abnormal inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disorder.

Our findings really underscore the benefits of breastfeeding, both immediately and for the long-term development of the immune system in the offspring, Zeng said.

Melody Zeng is a consultant for Guidepoint.

Wynne Parry is a freelance writer for Weill Cornell Medicine.

Read more from the original source:
Antibodies in breast milk help shape infants' gut bacteria and immunity | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle

Immunology

OSE Immunotherapeutics Appoints its International Scientific Advisory Board – StreetInsider.com

News and research before you hear about it on CNBC and others. Claim your 1-week free trial to StreetInsider Premium here.

NANTES, France, June 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) today announces the appointment of six leading international experts to its newly formed Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to guide the Company in its next phases of growth and scientific orientations.

We are proud to have gathered this team of independent world-renowned key-opinion leaders in immunology, immuno-oncology and inflammation, commented Nicolas Poirier, Chief Scientific Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics. Since OSEs inception, it has been an incredible journey at the forefront of immunology for translating our scientific discoveries into first-in-class innovative immunotherapy treatments against cancers, autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. We will now benefit from their outstanding and highly complementary expertise to further develop our R&D capabilities and nurture the science developed by OSE.

Dominique Costantini, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, adds: We are very pleased and honored to bring together experts with such scientific high level and strategic insight in immunology to guide the Company in its scientific orientations. Together with the OSE team, this Board will help addressing novel issues and challenges pertaining to our current and future research to prepare the Companys new phase of growth focused on bringing new entities into our portfolio and advancing our preclinical and diversified first-in-class products in immuno-oncology and immunology & inflammation.

The SAB, chaired by Pr. Wolf-Herv Fridman who will lead the Board's reflections and discussions, will comprise the followings:

Prof. Wolf-Herv Fridman, MD, ChairmanProfessor Emeritus of Immunology at the Universit de Paris Medical School in Paris, FranceDr. Fridmans research focused on the analysis of the tumor microenvironment. Since 2005, his studies have changed the paradigm of host/cancer interactions by demonstrating that the immune contexture, taking into account the functionality, the location and the density of the immune infiltrate in colorectal tumors, is the major prognostic factor for human cancers. He is involved in the development of bioinformatic tools to quantify cells of the tumor microenvironment which are being successfully applied to predict prognosis and immunotherapeutic responses in Renal Cell Cancers, Colorectal Cancers or Sarcomas. One major achievement is the establishment of an immune classification of soft tissue sarcoma tumors that allowed to demonstrate that Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLS) and B cell signatures, better than T cells, predicted favorable clinical outcome and therapeutic response to anti-PD- 1 therapy in patients. These findings were recently extended to other cancers treated with immune check-point blockers showing that plasma cells generated inside TLS produce anti-tumor antibodies associated with patients response to immunotherapy. They open the way for novel immune-based tools for efficient prognosis and therapy of cancers.

Dr. Sophie BrouardImmunologist and Doctor in veterinary sciences, Director of Research at the Institut National de la Sant et Recherche Mdicale (INSERM, National Institute for Health and Medical Research) in Nantes, France Dr. Sophie Brouard is Director of Research in the INSERM unit located in Nantes (France) and is working in immunology (auto-immune diseases and transplantation). She is an immunologist interested in fundamental and translational questions on the process of inflammation, chronicity, rejection and tolerance. Previously, she served as Director of the Centaure national RTRS (Rseau Thmatique de Recherche et de Soins) transplantation network in France. Dr. Brouard received the Bronze medal from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 2004, the price from Medicine Academy in 2012, the medal of innovation of the CNRS in 2020 and the Trophe of Academy-Biotech partnership from the Nantes University in 2021. She funded three companies, TclandExpression, Effimune and BioMadvanced.

Dr. Brouard participates and is co-authors of 11 patents. She published around 200 scientific papers (h-factor = 43).

Bernard Malissen, PhDGroup Leader at Centre dImmunologie de Marseille-Luminy and Founding-Director of Center for Immunophenomics, Marseille, FranceDr. Bernard Malissen pioneered the use of gene transfer approaches to dissect the function of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. He also succeeded reconstructing a full T cell antigen receptor (TCR) complex and demonstrated that the present-day signaling subunits associated with antigen receptors stem from a common primordial building block. He provided the first evidence for chromosomal inversion during TCR gene rearrangements.

His team was also the first to elucidate the atomic structure of an alloreactive TCR in complex with its peptide-MHC ligand, providing a molecular explanation for the basis of transplant rejection and TCR binding-degeneracy. His recent interests extend to dendritic cells and macrophages, leading him to disentangle their functional complexity primarily in the skin. To make sense of the complexity of the signal transduction networks involved in T cell activation, he recently used omic approaches to provide a systems level picture of the TCR signal transduction network and of its tuning by costimulatory and coinhibitory receptors.

Bernard Malissen published 400 scientific papers, (h-factor of 94) and ranked for the last 5 years among the most highly cited researchers in Immunology.

Dr. Myriam Merad, MD, PhDDirector of the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the Director of the Mount Sinai Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC), USDr. Merad is an internationally acclaimed physician-scientist and a leader in the fields of dendritic cell and macrophage biology with a focus on their contribution to human diseases. Dr. Merad identified the tissue resident macrophage lineage and revealed its distinct role in organ physiology and pathophysiology. She established the contribution of this macrophage lineage to cancer progression and inflammatory diseases and is now working on the development of novel macrophage-targeted therapies for these conditions. In addition to her work on macrophages, Dr. Merad is known for her work on dendritic cells, a group of cells that control adaptive immunity. She identified a new subset of dendritic cells, which is now considered a key target of antiviral and antitumor immunity.

Dr. Merad leads the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine (PrIISM) to bring immunology discoveries to the clinic. PrIISM integrates immunological research programs with synergistic expertise in biology, medicine, technology, physics, mathematics and computational biology to enhance our understanding of human immunology. She also founded the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mount Sinai, one of the worlds most sophisticated research centers, which uses cutting-edge single-cell technology to understand the contribution of immune cells to major human diseases or treatment responses.

Dr. Merad has authored more than 200 primary papers and reviews in high profile journals. Her work has been cited several thousand times. She receives generous funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her research on innate immunity and their contribution to human disease, and belongs to several NIH consortia. She is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the recipient of the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology.She is the President-elect of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). In 2020, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her contributions to the field of immunology.

Prof. Charles N. Serhan, PhD, DScPr. Serhan is the Simon Gelman Professor of Anaesthesia (Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology) at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, USHe is Director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Co-Director of the Brigham Research Institute. Charles received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Stony Brook University followed by a Doctorate in experimental pathology and medical sciences from New York University School of Medicine. He was a visiting scientist and postdoctoral fellow at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm with Professor Bengt Samuelsson (Nobel Laurate Medicine 82). In 1987, he joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and in 1996 received the honorary degree from Harvard University.

Pr. Serhan has experience leading multidisciplinary research teams as PI/PD for several NIH supported Program Project Grants and a P-50 Center Grant. He is currently Program Director of the Program Project entitled Resolution Mechanisms in Acute Inflammation: Resolution Pharmacology (P01-GM095467).

He received several research awards including an NIH MERIT and recent international awards: 2016 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine, International Eicosanoid Research Foundations 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Society of Investigative Pathology 2018 Rous Whipple Award, the 2018 British Pharmacology Societys Gaddum International Prize and Award Lecture, and the2019 Honorary Lifetime Award, Society for Leukocyte Biology, for excellence in leukocyte biology research.

His h-index is 172 in google scholar.

Dr. Jennifer Wargo,M.D., M.M.Sc.Professor of Genomic Medicine & Surgical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, HoustonAfter completing her medical degree, she entered surgical residency training at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School where she became interested in the biology and treatment of cancer. During her training, she completed 2 fellowships in surgical oncology with a focus on immunotherapy for cancer.

Dr. Wargo was recruited to the Division of Surgical Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital in July 2008 and had an active research laboratory focusing on melanoma tumorigenesis and immunotherapy for cancer. One exciting finding involved data describing the effect of BRAF-targeted therapy on tumor antigen expression in melanoma as a basis for combining targeted therapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of this disease. Dr. Wargo validated those findings in patients treated with BRAF inhibitors. She has continued critical studies to better understand the effects of BRAF inhibition on immune responses in melanoma and established a unique set of serial tumor biopsies and blood samples from patients enrolled in clinical trials on BRAF inhibitors. Through analysis of these samples, she contributed significantly to the world literature regarding resistance mechanisms and the effect of targeted therapy on anti-tumor immunity.

Dr. Wargo was recruited to MD Anderson Cancer Center in September 2013 to continue this work and to build a program to collect serial biopsies in patients with melanoma and other cancers on targeted therapy and immunotherapy, and to better understand responses to therapy and to develop novel strategies to combat resistance.

ABOUT OSE ImmunotherapeuticsOSE Immunotherapeutics is an integrated biotechnology company focused on developing and partnering therapies to control the immune system for Immuno-Oncology and Immuno-Inflammation. Its balanced first-in-class clinical and preclinical portfolio has a diversified risk profile:

Immuno-Oncology first-in-class products

Immuno-Inflammation first-in-class products

CoVepiT: a prophylactic second-generation vaccine activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes against COVID-19, developed using optimized epitopes from SARS-CoV2 viral proteins, epitopes non impacted by multi-variants. Shows good tolerance and very good level of T cell immune response. In clinical testing, a long-term memory response was confirmed at 6 months.

Click and follow us on Twitter and LinkedInhttps://twitter.com/OSEIMMUNOhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/10929673

Contacts

Forward-looking statementsThis press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.

These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as expect, anticipate, believe, target, plan, or estimate, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2022, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2021, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements.

Excerpt from:
OSE Immunotherapeutics Appoints its International Scientific Advisory Board - StreetInsider.com

Immunology

Battle of the Vaccines: Inhaled is Better than Nasal Sprays – Laboratory Equipment

Michael D'Agostino demonstrates the aerosol delivery method, which in this study was done on animal models. Credit: McMaster University

McMaster University scientists who compared respiratory vaccine-delivery systems have confirmed that inhaled aerosol vaccines provide far better protection and stronger immunity than nasal sprays.

While nasal sprays reach primarily the nose and throat, inhaled aerosols bypass the nasal passage and deliver vaccine droplets deep in the airway, where they can induce a broad protective immune response, the researchers report.

For the study, published online in the journalFrontiers in Immunology, the researchers used a tuberculosis vaccine to compare delivery methods by measuring the distribution of droplets, immune responses and potency in animals.

When the vaccine was delivered directly into the lungs it stimulated stronger immune responses, providing much better protection from TB.

Infections in the upper respiratory tract tend to be non-severe. In the context of infections caused by viruses like influenza or SARS-CoV-2, it tends to be when the virus gets deep into the lung that it makes you really sick, explains Matthew Miller, a co-author of the study who holds the Canada Research Chair in Viral Pandemics at McMaster University.

The immune response you generate when you deliver the vaccine deep into the lung is much stronger than when you only deposit that material in the nose and throat because of the anatomy and nature of the tissue and the immune cells that are available to respond are very different, says Miller, who is alsoan investigator with Canadas Global Nexus for Pandemics & Biological Threats, which is based at McMaster.

This study for the first time provides strong preclinical evidence to support the development of inhaled aerosol delivery over nasal spray for human vaccination against respiratory infections including TB, COVID-19 and influenza, says Zhou Xing, co-investigator of the study and a professor at the McMaster Immunology Research Centre and Department of Medicine.

More than 6.3 million have people died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and respiratory infections remain a significant cause of illness and death throughout the world, driving an urgent and renewed worldwide effort to develop vaccines that can be delivered directly to the mucous lining of the respiratory tract.

Scientists at McMaster, who have developed a unique inhaled form of COVID vaccine,believe this deep-delivery method offers the best defence against the current and future pandemics.

APhase 1 clinical trialis currently under way to evaluate the inhaled aerosol vaccine in healthy adults who had previously received two or three doses ofan injected COVID mRNA vaccine.

Nasal mist flu vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in children, but much less effective in adults, leaving injectable flu vaccines as the most popular choice for seasonal flu vaccinations.

Previous research by the McMaster team has shownthat in addition to being needle-free and painless, an inhaled vaccine is so efficient at targeting the lungs and upper airways that it can achieve maximum protection with a much smaller dose than injected vaccines.

Republished courtesy of McMaster University.

Read more from the original source:
Battle of the Vaccines: Inhaled is Better than Nasal Sprays - Laboratory Equipment

Immunology

The origin of monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic nations – News-Medical.Net

In a recent review posted to the OSF* preprint server, the author explained the causes of the mysterious origin of the recent monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic nations outside Africa.

Monkeypox cases are on the rise in several non-endemic nations worldwide despite the absence of travel links and connected clusters with Africa. Despite the worldwide prevalence, the causes of the origin of monkeypox beyond the African continent are unclear. If the much more fatal Ebola virus emerges similarly, serious consequences for human health could be expected, and therefore, the origin of the mysterious monkeypox outbreaks must be understood.

In the present review, researchers reported on the causes of the origin of monkeypox outbreaks in several non-endemic nations across the globe.

The recent monkeypox outbreaks cannot be explained based on logical conclusions of data obtained by experimental analysis but by illustrating the reality and making logical deductions only to obtain consequences that must agree with experiences.

The effects of causative pathogens that allow immune pathways to protect organisms from acquiring infections by those pathogens are not dependent on the exclusive nature of a certain pathogen but on the immunological nature in which the pathogenic effects are shared with sterile cause effects.

Immunological mechanisms that decrease pathogen load among animals may not necessarily decrease the disease severity or render the diseases asymptomatic. This is supported by lower severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) loads reported in few severe SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to asymptomatic and mild SARS-CoV-2 infections. The findings indicate that the severity of a disease depends on the hyper-inflammatory state instead of the direct effects of pathogen toxicity.

Therefore, outbreaks of infections that have been considered asymptomatic do not necessarily require pathogenic transmission but instead the disappearance of several conditions that allow immunological mechanisms to consider them asymptomatic without eliminating the disease causes.

Different diseases with different causes but with pathological effects of identical immunology may present with different manifestations in the absence of the pathogen (monkeypox virus). Different causes with effects of the same immunological nature manifest concomitantly in monkeypox cases and are already present in individuals in non-endemic nations. Therefore, monkeypox outbreaks have appeared in regions beyond the African continent, despite the absence of travel links and connected clusters with Africa.

Researchers have made relentless efforts to characterize the genetic basis for the widespread global prevalence of the monkeypox in the central parts of Africa compared to the western regions of Africa. It has been assumed that the pathogens responsible for central African outbreaks have higher transmissibility and virulence than those responsible for the outbreaks in West Africa.

However, a common observation among all monkeypox case clusters is exposure to factors facilitating the disappearance of conditions that allow immunological mechanisms to render monkeypox asymptomatic without eliminating etiological factors of the same immunological nature. Therefore, the origin of monkeypox in non-endemic zones is not dependent on the transmissibility or virulence of the monkeypox virus but on the disappearance (and reappearance) of conditions in response to which the manifestations of monkeypox appear.

Furthermore, the manifestations of an infection linked to a particular pathogenic organism are as diverse as the disappearance of conditions that allow the immune system and different driving factors of the same immunology to give rise to concomitant asymptomatic infections. The severity of the manifestations is comparable to those of infections sharing the same immunology, independent of the transmissibility and virulence of the pathogenic organism.

The manifestations linked to pathogens would cause catastrophic effects in individuals even in the absence of the causative pathogen if factors cause fading away of conditions that allow infections with the same immunology to be considered asymptomatic. Such infections could spread extensively within a short period.

Based on the findings, further research must explore the immunological nature of the more fatal Ebola virus infections and identify different diseases that share similar immunology as that of Ebola infection, respectively.

Such an approach would be more beneficial in preventing the probable catastrophic effects of Ebola infections instead of investigating the genetic basis of Ebola virus infections or the transmissibility and virulence of the Ebola virus. In addition, factors that allow immunological mechanisms to consider Ebola virus infections to be asymptomatic must be determined.

OSF publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

Read this article:
The origin of monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic nations - News-Medical.Net

Immunology

22pc of people tested for Covid-19 are positive as a ‘return to normal’ sees cases rise – Independent.ie

Twenty-two percent of people tested for Covid-19 are positive as cases are rising, an immunology expert has said.

rofessor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin Kingston Mills, said the fact that people are back to normal has contributed to a rise in cases.

"The number of cases has risen here, but its not just in Ireland.In the UK, Portugal and Germany, there has been a risein the past couple of weeks, he said on RT Radio 1s This Week.

"This is really on the back of the variants BA.4, BA.5, theseare sub-variants of Omicron, which are distinct from the original Omicron, they have mutated further. They are moretransmissible.

Mr Mills also pointed to the fact that people are now back to normal, and there's no social distancing, no mask-wearing.

There is a lot of contact,a lot of hospitality, so all of that is contributing to the rising case numbers.

He pointed out that the numbers in hospital are rising, so that does suggest that the case numbers are rising.

As of 8am, there were 397 people in hospital with Covid-19, this is an increase of 37 from yesterdays statistics.

The positivity rate of those that are tested has gone up from16 to 22pc, ProfMills said.

"So 22pc of all people that are tested are turning out to be positive, andthats an indication that we are getting an increase in the number of cases, as well as the number ofhospitalisations.

Omicron and its sub-variants largely infect theupper respiratory tract and they dont go as much into the lung, unless somebody has an underlying lung condition.

Prof Mills said that for a normal, healthy person this is not a very serious disease, but for people who are older, or people with underlying medical conditions or on some immunotherapy that might make their immune system suppressed, it is still a concern.

And these are the ones that are vulnerable now. It's important that if they havent been vaccinated with a fourth dose, or have recently had Covid, they should get a booster vaccine."

Prof Mills saidhe knew of a lot of older people, and people with underlying health conditions who havent yet had Covid who are still worried about getting it, because they feel that they may end up in hospital if they do get it and that is a big concern.

"And that is the big worry in this with increasing case numbers, it isinevitable that some will end up in hospital.

For the normal healthy person, its not a big deal getting this infection, in fact getting the infection now, especially if youve had the vaccine, three doses of the vaccine, will add to your immunity and probably prevent you from getting re-infected at this stage.

But the trouble is, even getting infected with the original Omicron is not now having as much protection against reinfection with B.A4 and B.A5 and thats the worry about this virus, it keeps changing and if it changes again, that will make it even more difficult for the vaccines to work.But the good news is the vaccines do prevent severe disease."

Prof Mills said those who have had their vaccine doses are in a better place than those who have not been vaccinated.

There is a lot of concern for those who are not vaccinated in the older age group or with underlying medical conditions, he said.

The rest is here:
22pc of people tested for Covid-19 are positive as a 'return to normal' sees cases rise - Independent.ie