Category Archives: Immunology

Immunology

BioAesthetics and Tulane awarded grant to develop new advanced wound-care graft – News from Tulane

BioAesthetics founder and CEO Nick Pashos, PhD, and Dr. Lisa Morici, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to BioAesthetics Corp. todevelop a new advanced wound-care product for treating bed sores or pressure ulcers. The product will be testedat Tulane University.

TheSmall Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award will fund initial testing and development of a skin graft that combines the companys tissue regeneration technology with infection-fighting drugs to better promote healing.

BioAesthetics founder and CEO Nick Pashos, PhD, and COO Billy Heim, are both Tulane alumni. BioAesthetics was spawned at Tulane in 2015 to commercialize a pioneering tissue graft Pashos, a Tulane student at the time, developed to regenerate a nipple and areola in breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.

Lisa Morici, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine, will lead testing for the study at Tulane.

Severe bed sores are particularly difficult to heal and primarily affect the elderly or those who are bed-ridden. These pressure ulcers are open wounds on the skin, commonly in bony areas like the hip, back or ankles, caused by prolonged pressure on the skin from staying in the same position. The condition affects more than 2.5 million a year.

Current treatment options involve surgical reconstruction with skin or skin substitute grafts, which can fail to heal the pressure ulcer because of infection or because the graft was not strong enough. TheBioAesthetics graft is stronger,releases medication at the surgical site to fight infection, and is designed to accelerate wound healing.

Like the companys product for breast reconstruction, the new graft uses decellularized tissue that acts as a collagen scaffold for new cells to easily grow into as the wound heals.

The underlying technology of the proposed solution can be used to make novel grafts for treatment of numerous wound types, improving healing and patient quality of life, Pashos said.

Researchers at Tulane will test the acellular biologic graft, which is strengthened with a polymer hydrogel, to see how effectively it releases the medication over a 14-day period. The study will measure the drug release and bioactivity in vitro and, using a mouse model, assess its efficacy against a common antibiotic-resistant bacterium.

Adding a biocompatible polymer to an acellular biologic graft for therapeutic applications is a unique approach that hasnt been done before, Morici said. The goal is to have a regenerative graft that can also prevent the most common complications during wound healing.

The National Science Foundations STTR program focuses on transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and/or societal benefit. Unlike fundamental research, the program supports startups and small businesses in the creation of deep technologies, getting discoveries out of the lab and into the market.BioAesthetics is developing new products for use in reconstructive surgeries through its mission to transform lives through advancements in biomaterials.

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BioAesthetics and Tulane awarded grant to develop new advanced wound-care graft - News from Tulane

Immunology

Some Experts Claim Covid-19 Reinfections Are Not A Huge ProblemBut Nobodys Tracking The Numbers – Forbes

Doctor hand holding positive Covid-19 rapid test

Dr. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease physician in New York, is certain hes seen multiple cases of Covid-19 reinfections. The problem is, hes just not sure how many. Were seeing a lot of people that we took care of back in the early spring returning to the hospitals with Covid-19 symptoms, he says. Other physicians that hes spoken to agree that theyve seen what seem to be Covid-19 reinfections on a regular basis, but their evidence is only anecdotal.

Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician who also treats Covid-19 patients, also believes she has seen multiple cases of reinfections. Ive had patients that Ive suspected, but theres no way to test, she says. Reinfections are definitely happening, she says, we just dont know on what scale.

According to Alessandro Sette, an immunobiologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, at this point, reinfections are not a huge problem. Sette is a coauthor on a recent study published in the journal Science which suggests that a majority of patients remain immune to Covid-19 reinfection at least eight months after diagnosis.

But as the world looks forward to Covid-19 vaccines and reliable treatments to recover from nearly a year of locking down, those missing numbers could be hiding the true story about how long vaccinations will last, and whether the pandemic can be brought under control as the virus evolves more contagious strains.

The number of patients suffering Covid-19 reinfections is likely a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of new infections diagnosed worldwide daily, immunologists suggest. The only place that seems to be even attempting to track reinfections is a Dutch news site that has counted over 9,000 cases of suspected reinfection. But to know for sure would require a genetic sequence of the virus in both the first and second diagnosis to compare whether the new infection is a genetically distinct virus or the same from the original infection. Countries such as Australia and Taiwan are doing routine sequencing, which could teach scientists more about the Covid-19 immunity as well as new, more contagious variants of Covid-19. On the U.S. frontlines however, most doctors just dont have the time or resources to be sequencing thousands of viral genomes each day. Were swamped, Griffin says, were trying to keep people alive.

Currently, the U.S. ranks as 43rd worldwide when it comes to genomic sequencing of Covid-19. The United States is not doing enough, says Jessica Malaty Rivera, the communications lead for The COVID Tracking Project. Rivera says that she doesnt believe states are tracking it on a local level, and there is no central database where physicians across the country can report suspected or confirmed cases of reinfections. The only way to properly track reinfections is to do much more genomic sequencing than were doing, she says. Only then will the true scope of Covid-19 reinfections be made clear.

Sette says that reinfections are likely to be mild cases compared to initial cases of the disease though thats not always true. An article published in medical journal the Lancet last October detailed a case of Covid-19 reinfection of a 25-year old man in Nevada whose second infection was more severe than his first. Griffin says he has also personally seen at least one case of reinfection where the first infection was beaten at home, but the patient had to be hospitalized to treat the second infection. This is where better data would reveal the true story.

Tracking reinfections would also teach scientists more about the new, more contagious variants of Covid-19 that are currently circulating the globe. Current data indicates that some of these SARS-CoV2 lineages might have a higher capacity to reinfect people, says Ramon Lorenzo Redondo, a professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern. But more research is needed. Of particular concern is a Covid-19 variant, first discovered in South Africa and now in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. which may prevent patients from developing immunity. But, he says, I dont believe that any of the initial concerns about reinfections have amounted to much so far.

It will matter down the road, however. Knowing how many reinfections are actually occurring provides valuable clues to how long natural immunity to Covid-19 actually lasts. Stanley Perlman, a coronavirus researcher at the University of Iowa, expects that immunity to Covid-19 begins to wane anywhere from between 6 months to a year. Reinfections would be a key indicator of that, he notes, adding I think what one can say is its not permanent immunity.

This article was updated at 6:30pm ET on 1/29/21 for clarity

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Some Experts Claim Covid-19 Reinfections Are Not A Huge ProblemBut Nobodys Tracking The Numbers - Forbes

Immunology

Science inquiry series addresses ‘Vaccines in the Age of COVID-19’ – Belgrade News

How do vaccines work, how have Montanans helped, and what are the implications for COVID-19? Dr. Mark Jutila, MSU Regents professor of microbiology and immunology, will offer insights into these questions in the second virtual presentation of the Winter/Spring 2021 Science Inquiry Series.

The talk will be presented online via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences (http://www.gallatinscience.org/), and co-sponsored by the nonprofit community service organization Hopa Mountain and the Museum of the Rockies.

The series explores cutting edge science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by questions from the audience. The talks are free to the public.

In his presentation Vaccines in the Age of COVID-19, Jutila will discuss how vaccines work and Montanas role in vaccine development, including the impact of Maurice Hilleman, a Montana native and MSU graduate. He will conclude with an emphasis on the immune response to the current SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus and vaccine development and implementation in COVID-19.

A Bozeman native, Dr. Jutila holds a Ph.D. in immunology/veterinary science from Washington State University, and was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in immunology at Stanford University before joining the MSU faculty in 1989. His current research focuses on understanding and improving immune responses in the body. He currently heads MSUs Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and is a member of the National Academy of Inventors.

The Zoom presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period via the Zoom chat function; the event will last approximately an hour.

To access the Zoom link for the talk, go to the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences web site at http://www.gallatinscience.org.

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Science inquiry series addresses 'Vaccines in the Age of COVID-19' - Belgrade News

Immunology

Her dad was murdered. Her mom overdosed. Yet this Easton grad is studying to be a cancer researcher. – lehighvalleylive.com

Adryanna Jenkins improbable path from South Side Easton to Marshall Scholar at the University of Cambridge seemed impossible just seven years ago.

She failed her freshman year at Easton Area High School and was sent to Easton Area Academy to get back on track.

The 21-year-old biomedical student frequently missed school because she was trying to meet the needs of her four siblings and her mother. Her father wasnt available to help. He was murdered by his girlfriend in Bethlehem in 2007.

While helping her family shed frequently miss the school bus and had no way to get to school on time. By the time she walked to school or took a city bus shed be so late it wasnt even worth going.

She caught up on her classes at the academy the first half of her sophomore year and returned to Easton Area High School the second half of that year. After that, her mother overdosed.

I was very scared for her. I thought we lost her, said Nancy Smith, her gifted program advisor.

But Jenkins was able to overcome her troubled family history and put herself on a path to success. Shes poised to graduate Penn State University with a degree in immunology this spring. This fall shell pursue a masters degree in immunology in the United Kingdom under the prestigious Marshall Scholars program. She plans to ultimately obtain a dual M.D./Ph.D and become a cancer researcher.

Im really, really thankful and grateful to have received the scholarship, Jenkins said, adding, I have a lot of brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles. Theyre all proud of me.

Smith said Jenkins benefitted from counseling both at the now-defunct Easton Area Academy and later at the high school.

She said Jenkins was paired with another girl who had also recently lost her mother so each could see they werent alone in their grief. She was sent that summer to a multicultural leadership session at DeSales University. She saw others who looked like her on a track to success and wanted that for herself, Smith said.

That was a big change for her. I think she actually saw a future for herself beyond what she was living in, Smith said.

Smith said Jenkins came back to school her junior year ready to work. She hasnt looked back since.

Her academic experience includes a summer studying biomedicine at the Yale University School of Medicine.

A'dryanna Jenkins of Easton won a scholarship to study immunology at the University of Cambridge. She lost both of her parents by the time she was 16. She was a BioMed Amgen Scholar at the Yale School of Medicine in the summer of 2019.Courtesy A'dryanna Jenkins

She said she wants to become a doctor because there werent many Black doctors for her or her family to turn to when she was growing up. Its hard enough for underprivileged people to obtain proper medical care, and on top of that theyre skeptical of what doctors can offer and seek alternative medical treatments. Thats how her mother wound up overdosing, she said.

Having witnessed many of my family members resort to these risky alternatives, I became determined to better address the needs of marginalized groups by increasing diversity and representation in healthcare, Jenkins said.

She sees a career as a laboratory immunologist as an opportunity for her to help as many people as possible.

I was amazed that one laboratory finding could improve the lives of millions, she said. I realized that marginalized patients throughout the world benefit directly from research that informs the development of medical therapies.

She lived with four siblings but actually has 10 brothers and sisters. Shell be the first of any of them to graduate from college. She hopes other young people who share her socio-economic status see her story as proof that they too can follow their dreams.

You are not predestined to live the same life as people who are struggling around you, Jenkins said. You can go on and do great things and be anything you want to be.

A'dryanna Jenkins of Easton won a scholarship to study immunology at the University of Cambridge. She will graduate from Penn State University this spring with a degree in immunology.Courtesy A'dryanna Jenkins

A'dryanna Jenkins of Easton won a scholarship to study immunology at the University of Cambridge. She lost both of her parents by the time she was 16. She studied abroad in Berlin, Germany, in 2019.Courtesy A'dryanna Jenkins

Initially conceived as a way to strengthen U.K. and U.S. relations after World War II, and a thank you from the U.K. for its namesake -- the Marshall Plan -- the Marshall Scholarship program gave U.S. applicants their choice of study at any British university. The program has grown from 12 students awarded the scholarship in 1953 to 46 students in 2021.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

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Her dad was murdered. Her mom overdosed. Yet this Easton grad is studying to be a cancer researcher. - lehighvalleylive.com

Immunology

Nektar Appoints Dr. Brian Kotzin as Interim Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development – PRNewswire

"We are pleased that Dr. Kotzin will take on this key role on our development team at Nektar," said Jonathan Zalevsky, Chief R&D Officer of Nektar Therapeutics. "Since he joined Nektar in 2017, Dr. Kotzin has demonstrated strong leadership and strategic insight. He has extensive development experience and over 30 years of expertise in immunology and his strategic guidance will be invaluable toNektaras we continue to execute on development activities for our immune-oncology and immunology pipeline."

Brian Kotzin, MD added, "I am honored to expand my role at Nektar and work alongside Dr. Zalevsky. This is an exciting time for the company with multiple registrational studies underway in a range of tumor types for BEMPEG, a broadening clinical program for NKTR-358 in a number of auto-immune disorders, and an emerging opportunity for NKTR-255 in both hematological malignancies and solid tumors."

While at Nektar, Dr. Kotzin has spearheaded the NKTR-358 development program partnered with Eli Lilly & Co. and he has also served as a development program lead for early development of NKTR-255 and NKTR-262. Dr. Kotzin was previously at Amgen for 11 years, where he served as Vice President, Global Clinical Development and Head of the Inflammation Therapeutic area directing the global development efforts for Amgen product candidates, including all immunology programs. During his tenure at Amgen, he also served as Vice President of Translational Sciences and Head of Medical Sciences/Early Development, where he was responsible for the planning and execution of early-phase clinical development in all therapeutic areas as well as the discovery and implementation of pharmacodynamic biomarkers and clinical immunology support for clinical studies. Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Kotzin served as Head of Clinical Immunology in the Department of Medicine and as director of the Autoimmunity Center of Excellence at theUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences CenterinDenver. He previously held the position of Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Immunology at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center inDenver. In addition to academic posts in rheumatology and microbiology/immunology, Dr. Kotzin served at the Veterans Administration Medical Center inDenveras chief of the Rheumatology Section. Dr. Kotzin received a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Southern California and an M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology and medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He was also a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is board certified in rheumatology and internal medicine.

"Over the past two years, Wei has played a leadership role in recruiting an experienced clinical development organization and executing a late-stage clinical development strategy for BEMPEG, positioning it for future success. I would like to thank him for his contributions to Nektar, and wish him the best in his next opportunity," continued Zalevsky.

About NektarNektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company with a robust, wholly owned R&D pipeline of investigational medicines in oncology, immunology, and virology as well as a portfolio of approved partnered medicines. Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India. Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements which can be identified by words such as: "will," "develop," "may" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding the therapeutic potential of bempegaldesleukin (BEMPEG), NKTR-255, NKTR-358, and NKTR-262, as well as the availability of results and outcomes from clinical studies of our drug candidates. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, anticipated events and trends, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: (i) our statements regarding the therapeutic potential of our drug candidates are based on preclinical and clinical findings and the expected therapeutic potential for each of our drug candidates is subject to change as research and development continue; (ii) our drug candidates are in clinical development and the risk of failure remains high and failure can unexpectedly occur at any stage for one or more of the indications being studied prior to regulatory approval due to lack of sufficient efficacy, safety considerations or other factors that impact drug development; (iii) data reported from ongoing preclinical and clinical trials are necessarily interim data only and the final results will change based on continuing observations; (iv) scientific discovery of new medical breakthroughs is an inherently uncertain process and the future success of potential new drug candidates (such as bempegaldesleukin, NKTR-255, NKTR-358, and NKTR-262) is therefore very uncertain and unpredictable; (v) the timing of the commencement or end of clinical studies and the availability of clinical data may be delayed or unsuccessful due to regulatory delays, slower than anticipated patient enrollment, manufacturing challenges, changing standards of care, evolving regulatory requirements, clinical trial design, clinical outcomes, delays caused by our collaboration partners, and enrollment competition; (vi) patents may not issue from our patent applications for our drug candidates, patents that have issued may not be enforceable, or additional intellectual property licenses from third parties may be required; and (vii) certain other important risks and uncertainties set forth in Nektar's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contact:

For Investors:Vivian Wu of Nektar Therapeutics628-895-0661[emailprotected]

For Media:Dan Budwick of 1AB973-271-6085[emailprotected]

SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics

http://www.nektar.com

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Nektar Appoints Dr. Brian Kotzin as Interim Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development - PRNewswire

Immunology

If you’ve had Covid-19, do you still need a vaccine? Here’s what the experts say. – The Daily Briefing

The United States has just started rolling out the country's two authorized Covid-19 vaccines, but Vox's Brian Resnick writes that some of the more than 20 million Americans who've had Covid-19 are wondering: Do I need to get vaccinated?

Your top resources on the Covid-19 vaccine

According to Resnick, some people who've had Covid-19 may question whether they need to be vaccinated because their bodies have already mounted an immune response against the novel coronavirus and Covid-19and that immune response could mean they've developed some degree of protection against the virus and the disease. In fact, Resnick writes, scientists in lab studies have found that most people who've contracted the novel coronavirus develop neutralizing antibodies that can render the virus "harmless."

Nevertheless, immunologists and vaccine experts told Resnick that people who've had Covid-19 should get inoculated once vaccines become widely available. Why?

One of the main reasons why experts think everyone should receive a Covid-19 vaccination, including those who've had Covid-19, is because everyone's immune system responds differently to the virus, Resnick writes.

According to experts, documented cases of reinfection from the novel coronavirus suggest some people who've contracted the virus may have had a weak or waning immune response to pathogen, meaning their body hasn't mounted a strong or lasting immunity to the virus. Resnick writes that scientists generally believe when it comes to the novel coronavirus, "the worse the first infection, the stronger the immune response will be."

In an email to Resnick, Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunology at Yale University School of Medicine, explained that some people who've had Covid-19 "develop very high levels of neutralizing antibodies and are likely in no need of vaccines, while others develop undetectable levels of neutralizing antibodies" and therefore may need a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus and Covid-19.

Alexander Sette, an immunologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, said he and his colleagues have found that about 90% of people will mount a durable immune response against the novel coronaviruswhich can last up to eight monthswhile about 10% of people will not have as strong of an immune response.

However, Sette explained that it's not clear which of those categories patients who've been infected with the coronavirus fall into. As such, Sette said that not taking any precautionsincluding wearing a face mask, practicing social distancing, or getting vaccinatedafter an initial coronavirus infection is comparable to "driving a car where you're 90% sure the car has brakes."

That's why experts say people who've been infected with the novel coronavirus still should get vaccinated: to "level out the variability" in immune responses, Resnick writes. Covid-19 vaccines offer patients a more consistent level of protection against the pathogen, experts said.

"During a natural exposure to [the novel coronavirus], there are multiple factors that interfere with a robust immune response," Iwasaki explained. For example, "[t]he exposure dose may be too little." In addition, "The virus interferes with our immune system (both innate and adaptive) to block proper antibody induction," Iwasaki said.

In contrast, Iwasaki said, "vaccines are formulated to provide just the right dose" of the viral protein needed to generate a robust immune response, resulting in a "much more uniform and higher level of antibodies generated with a vaccine."

According to Sette, clinical trial data on the two vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States shows both vaccines have high levels of efficacy, which suggests the inoculations can produce robust immune responses in a majority of people.

Still, it's not yet known whether Covid-19 vaccines will boost a person's natural immune response to the novel coronavirus after an initial infection. Experts say, however, that an inoculation against Covid-19 likely won't cause harm to people who've already been infected with the novel coronavirusand there may be some potential benefits.

In an email to Resnick, Helen Chu, an immunologist and physician at the University of Washington, wrote that although scientists haven't yet determined whether vaccines will offer an immunological boost to people who've had a weak immune response to a natural coronavirus infection, she believes getting the vaccine could be beneficial, because "[a]ntibody wanes over time, and it is likely that the vaccine will boost your pre-existing antibody titers."

Scientists are still working to definitively prove whether Covid-19 vaccines provide an immunological boost to people who've already been infected with the coronavirus, though. According to Resnick, Moderna vaccine scientist Jacqueline Miller recently said the company is "anticipating data in the coming weeks" on whether its Covid-19 vaccine improves the immune response of people who've already been infected.

But in the meantime, experts say that once coronavirus vaccines become widely available, people who've been infected with the novel coronavirus should be vaccinated. "To be safe, I recommend getting the vaccine, even after you recover from [Covid-19], when the vaccines become sufficiently available," Iwasaki said (Resnick, Vox, 12/18).

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If you've had Covid-19, do you still need a vaccine? Here's what the experts say. - The Daily Briefing

Immunology

Researchers discover protein crucial to T cell metabolism and anti-tumor immune response – News-Medical.net

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that a protein called NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) is essential for the shift in metabolic activity that occurs with T cell activation, making it a critical factor in regulating the anti-tumor immune response.

The preclinical research, published today in Nature Immunology, suggests that elevating NIK activity in T cells may be a promising strategy to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy, including adoptive cellular therapies and immune checkpoint blockade.

In a preclinical melanoma model, the researchers evaluated melanoma-specific T cells engineered to express higher levels of NIK. Compared to controls, these T cells displayed stronger tumor-killing abilities and improved survival, suggesting that increasing NIK activity may improve the effectiveness of adoptive T cell therapies.

NIK is a novel regulator of T cell metabolism that works in a very unique manner. Biologically, NIK activity stabilizes the HK2 glycolytic enzyme through regulating the cellular redox pathway. From the therapeutic point of view, we were able to improve the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapies in preclinical models by overexpressing NIK in those cells."

Shao-Cong Sun, Ph.D., Professor of Immunology, Corresponding Author

T cells generally exist in a relatively quiet state with low energy demands and little cell division, Sun explained. However, upon recognizing an antigen, T cells begin expanding and activate the glycolysis metabolic pathway to meet the increased energy demands of carrying out their immune function.

This metabolic shift is closely regulated by immune checkpoint proteins, such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, which act to repress T cell metabolism. Thus, immune checkpoint inhibitors can reinvigorate T cell anti-tumor activity by boosting metabolism. In addition, T cells begin producing proteins called costimulatory molecules after they become activated, which work to stimulate metabolism and the immune response.

Knowing that the NIK protein functions downstream of many of these costimulatory molecules, the researchers sought to better understand its role in regulating T cell function. In melanoma models, NIK loss resulted in an increased tumor burden and fewer tumor-infiltrating T cells, suggesting NIK plays a crucial role in anti-tumor immunity and T cell survival.

Further experiments revealed that NIK is essential for the metabolic reprogramming in activated T cells through its control of the cellular redox system. Increased metabolism can lead to elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage the cell and stimulate protein degradation.

The researchers discovered that NIK maintains the NADPH redox system, an important antioxidant mechanism to reduce the accumulation of ROS. This in turn leads to the stabilization of the HK2 protein, a rate-limiting enzyme within the glycolysis pathway.

"Our findings suggest that without NIK, the HK2 protein is not stable, and is constantly being degraded. You need NIK to maintain HK2 levels in T cells," Sun said. "Interestingly, we found that adding more NIK to the cells, you can further increase the levels of HK2 and make glycolysis more active."

As a potential therapeutic application, the researchers currently are working to evaluate modified chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in the laboratory engineered to overexpress NIK. In the future, they hope to explore other therapeutic approaches, such as targeted therapies that could manipulate NIK activity in tandem with other immunotherapy approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Source:

Journal reference:

Gu, M., et al. (2021) NF-B-inducing kinase maintains T cell metabolic fitness in antitumor immunity. Nature Immunology. doi.org/10.1038/s41590-020-00829-6.

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Researchers discover protein crucial to T cell metabolism and anti-tumor immune response - News-Medical.net

Immunology

UC Davis School of Medicine professors discuss the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – The Aggie

Microbiology and immunology professors explain the COVID-19 vaccine and what sets it apart from past vaccines

On Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a series of experimental trials since mid-March. The Moderna vaccine also received emergency authorization from the FDA on Dec. 18, 2020. Barbara Shacklett, a professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine whose research focuses on cell-mediated immune responses to HIV, noted that although the vaccine hasnt taken long to be approved, the experimental process wasnt carried out hastily.

Even though the vaccine has become available in record time, it nevertheless went through extensive testing in clinical trials to determine that it was both safe and effective, Shacklett said via email. The process was accelerated in this case because of the urgency of the situation, but that doesnt mean important steps were skipped or overlooked.

Dr. Stefan Rothenburg, an associate professor in the School of Medicines department of medical microbiology and immunology, emphasized that no serious symptoms have been linked to the vaccine.

I think the short term safety profiles are very encouraging, Rothenburg said. There have been very few serious side effectsyou cannot really call it side effectsbut very few instances where some of the participants in the trials had some disease. But it has been concluded by the expert panel that this had nothing to do with the vaccine.

According to Rothenburg, some of the trial participants who experienced symptoms were part of a placebo group.

In the placebo groups they had some cases where people developed some health issues, Rothenburg said. And this is just kind of normal. If you have a large number of participants, some people, in a random fashion, will always develop some health issues.

Vaccines use a form of antigen that the immune system recognizes and responds to. According to Shacklett, vaccines can be made up of weakened strains of a virus, lifeless virus particles or a small piece of the virus particleusually a protein. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine employs the last method; however, the genetic information called messenger RNA (mRNA) is used instead of a protein. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first mRNA vaccine to be approved for general use.

The vaccine contains a very small piece of the SARS-CoV2 virus RNA, Shacklett said. Once its in a persons body, this RNA serves as a template so that the persons cells can produce a single, strongly immunogenic protein from the virus, the spike protein. Importantly, this small piece of RNA doesnt contain nearly enough information to produce the whole virus.

Shacklett stated that after the body uses the mRNA, its discarded.

Once the vaccine material is taken up by our bodys cells, it is read by the cellular machinery that makes proteins, but afterwards it is completely broken down and lost, Shacklett said. The mRNA does not become stably integrated into our cells; instead, after it is used as a template, its destroyed by enzymes inside our cells.

Rothenburg mentioned that the majority of Americans are leaning toward becoming vaccinated.

Right now it seems that at least 80% of the population in the U.S. have a positive view of the [COVID-19] vaccines, Rothenburg said. So I think about 40% would take it right away. Another 40% want to wait a little bit, but its generally a positive and this is definitely encouraging.

According to Rothenburg, the virus wont be able to be transmitted if a certain threshold is reached in the number of vaccinated individuals.

If we get a vaccination coverage of between 70 and 80%, we are at the stage where the virus would have problems to get transmitted, basically because people are more immune, Rothenburg said.

Dr. Jose Torres, a professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology whose research focuses include viral immunology, stated that the vaccine will likely offer immunity for months.

A few months of protection (three to six) is a reasonable expectation until we gather results from a large number of vaccinees, Torres stated in an email. The real long-term efficacy can only be determined a few years after widespread vaccine introduction.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have proven to have a more than 90% success rate.

Many scientists that are experts in this field are very surprised with the

exceptionally high early protection levels reported by the companies that developed the final

versions of these new types of vaccines, Torres said. Time will tell if this becomes a safe and reliable technology for inducing long-term protection and memory.Written by: Lyra Farrell features@theaggie.org

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UC Davis School of Medicine professors discuss the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - The Aggie

Immunology

Delaying Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines ‘The Right Thing to Do’ – Medscape

The decision to delay second doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to increase uptake of initial immunisation was the right thing to do, experts said.

Prof Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, said he had "thought long and hard" about the decision but had concluded "it was the right thing to do".Eleanor Riley, professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, admitted she had been sceptical initially about the decision but that "the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense".

Prof Eleanor Riley/RCP

On December 31, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation decided that vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose would prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses. It said that efficacy for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against symptomatic COVID-19 following an initial dose was 89% from day 14 after the vaccination was administered.

It also found that the level of protection after a single dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was 73% after 22 days following the first dose.

The JCVI recommended a gap of up to 12 weeks between the first and second doses of both vaccines.

The move was controversial among some scientists and clinicians who pointed out that the wider spacing regimen went against the methods used in clinical trials where doses were administered at 3 or 4 week intervals.

Prof Riley told the RCP's 2021 conference that in the case of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, data showed that "the immunological response with a second dose at 12 weeks is certainly no worse and actually looks really a little bit better than giving an earlier second dose".

She said the results built on research over the last few years on vaccination dosing schedules that suggested "a delayed second dose is frequently beneficial".

Some older vaccination dosing schedules "may have been unnecessarily quick", she added.

However, Prof Riley cautioned that longer intervals between vaccine doses could drive down patient compliance.

"Life gets in the way, people move house, people change jobs, people get other diseases, things happen at home that means people don't get the letter inviting them for their second dose, or they are just unable to return.

"And the longer you leave it, the bigger the risk is of that."

Read more:
Delaying Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines 'The Right Thing to Do' - Medscape

Immunology

Impact of COVID-19 on Immunology Market 2020 | Size, Growth, Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2026 | Pfizer Inc., Amgen Inc., Merck Sharp &…

Immunology Market research report is the new statistical data source added by A2Z Market Research.

Immunology Market is growing at a High CAGR during the forecast period 2020-2026. The increasing interest of the individuals in this industry is that the major reason for the expansion of this market.

Immunology Market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing top players and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the key players and the new entering market industries are studied in detail. Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.

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Note In order to provide more accurate market forecast, all our reports will be updated before delivery by considering the impact of COVID-19.

Top Key Players Profiled in this report are:

Pfizer Inc., Amgen Inc., Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Astellas, Novartis AG, Other Prominent Players, ALLERGAN, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Janssen Global Services, LLC (Johnson & Johnson), UCB SA, AbbVie Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

The key questions answered in this report:

Various factors are responsible for the markets growth trajectory, which are studied at length in the report. In addition, the report lists down the restraints that are posing threat to the global Immunology market. It also gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat from new entrants and product substitute, and the degree of competition prevailing in the market. The influence of the latest government guidelines is also analyzed in detail in the report. It studies the Immunology markets trajectory between forecast periods.

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Global Immunology Market Segmentation:

Market Segmentation by Type:

Rheumatoid ArthritisPsoriatic ArthritisPlaque PsoriasisAnkylosing SpondylitisInflammatory Bowel DiseaseProphylaxis of Organ Rejection

Market Segmentation by Application:

Hospital PharmaciesRetail PharmaciesOnline Pharmacies

Regions Covered in the Global Immunology Market Report 2020:The Middle East and Africa(GCC Countries and Egypt)North America(the United States, Mexico, and Canada)South America(Brazil etc.)Europe(Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)Asia-Pacific(Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

Table of Contents

Global Immunology Market Research Report 2020 2026

Chapter 1 Immunology Market Overview

Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry

Chapter 3 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by Region

Chapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions

Chapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

Chapter 7 Global Market Analysis by Application

Chapter 8 Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis

Chapter 12 Global Immunology Market Forecast

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Impact of COVID-19 on Immunology Market 2020 | Size, Growth, Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2026 | Pfizer Inc., Amgen Inc., Merck Sharp &...