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Vaccine Mar 2023This scoping review summarizes a key aspect of vaccinomics by collating known associations between heterogeneity in human genetics and vaccine immunogenicity and safety. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
This scoping review summarizes a key aspect of vaccinomics by collating known associations between heterogeneity in human genetics and vaccine immunogenicity and safety.
METHODS
We searched PubMed for articles in English using terms covering vaccines routinely recommended to the general US population, their effects, and genetics/genomics. Included studies were controlled and demonstrated statistically significant associations with vaccine immunogenicity or safety. Studies of Pandemrix®, an influenza vaccine previously used in Europe, were also included, due to its widely publicized genetically mediated association with narcolepsy.
FINDINGS
Of the 2,300 articles manually screened, 214 were included for data extraction. Six included articles examined genetic influences on vaccine safety; the rest examined vaccine immunogenicity. Hepatitis B vaccine immunogenicity was reported in 92 articles and associated with 277 genetic determinants across 117 genes. Thirty-three articles identified 291 genetic determinants across 118 genes associated with measles vaccine immunogenicity, 22 articles identified 311 genetic determinants across 110 genes associated with rubella vaccine immunogenicity, and 25 articles identified 48 genetic determinants across 34 genes associated with influenza vaccine immunogenicity. Other vaccines had fewer than 10 studies each identifying genetic determinants of their immunogenicity. Genetic associations were reported with 4 adverse events following influenza vaccination (narcolepsy, GBS, GCA/PMR, high temperature) and 2 adverse events following measles vaccination (fever, febrile seizure).
CONCLUSION
This scoping review identified numerous genetic associations with vaccine immunogenicity and several genetic associations with vaccine safety. Most associations were only reported in one study. This illustrates both the potential of and need for investment in vaccinomics. Current research in this field is focused on systems and genetic-based studies designed to identify risk signatures for serious vaccine reactions or diminished vaccine immunogenicity. Such research could bolster our ability to develop safer and more effective vaccines.
Topics: Humans; Influenza, Human; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; Rubella; Measles; Fever; Immunogenicity, Vaccine; Antibodies, Viral
PubMed: 36803903
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.009 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022
Topics: Gamma Rays; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 36700215
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1075335 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has not only shaped awareness of the impact of infectious diseases on global health. It has also provided instructive lessons for better... (Review)
Review
Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has not only shaped awareness of the impact of infectious diseases on global health. It has also provided instructive lessons for better prevention strategies against new and current infectious diseases of major importance. Tuberculosis (TB) is a major current health threat caused by (Mtb) which has claimed more lives than any other pathogen over the last few centuries. Hence, better intervention measures, notably novel vaccines, are urgently needed to accomplish the goal of the World Health Organization to end TB by 2030. This article describes how the research and development of TB vaccines can benefit from recent developments in the Covid-19 vaccine pipeline from research to clinical development and outlines how the field of TB research can pursue its own approaches. It begins with a brief discussion of major vaccine platforms in general terms followed by a short description of the most widely applied Covid-19 vaccines. Next, different vaccination regimes and particular hurdles for TB vaccine research and development are described. This specifically considers the complex immune mechanisms underlying protection and pathology in TB which involve innate as well as acquired immune mechanisms and strongly depend on fine tuning the response. A brief description of the TB vaccine candidates that have entered clinical trials follows. Finally, it discusses how experiences from Covid-19 vaccine research, development, and rollout can and have been applied to the TB vaccine pipeline, emphasizing similarities and dissimilarities.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19 Vaccines; COVID-19; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis Vaccines; Communicable Diseases; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 38035095
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1273938 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022The quest for a syphilis vaccine to provide protection from infection or disease began not long after the isolation of the first subspecies () strain in 1912. Yet, a... (Review)
Review
The quest for a syphilis vaccine to provide protection from infection or disease began not long after the isolation of the first subspecies () strain in 1912. Yet, a practical and effective vaccine formulation continues to elude scientists. Over the last few years, however, efforts toward developing a syphilis vaccine have increased thanks to an improved understanding of the repertoire of outer membrane proteins (OMPs), which are the most likely syphilis vaccine candidates. More has been also learned about the molecular mechanisms behind pathogen persistence and immune evasion. Published vaccine formulations based on a subset of the pathogen's OMPs have conferred only partial protection upon challenge of immunized laboratory animals, primarily rabbits. Nonetheless, those experiments have improved our approach to the choice of immunization regimens, adjuvants, and vaccine target selection, although significant knowledge gaps remain. Herein, we provide a brief overview on current technologies and approaches employed in syphilis vaccinology, and possible future directions to develop a vaccine that could be pivotal to future syphilis control and elimination initiatives.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Vaccines; Immunization; Rabbits; Syphilis; Treponema pallidum; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 35967432
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.952284 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by . As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global TB mortality rate in 2020 is rising,... (Review)
Review
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by . As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the global TB mortality rate in 2020 is rising, making TB prevention and control more challenging. Vaccination has been considered the best approach to reduce the TB burden. Unfortunately, BCG, the only TB vaccine currently approved for use, offers some protection against childhood TB but is less effective in adults. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new TB vaccines that are more effective than BCG. Accumulating data indicated that peptides or epitopes play essential roles in bridging innate and adaptive immunity and triggering adaptive immunity. Furthermore, innovations in bioinformatics, immunoinformatics, synthetic technologies, new materials, and transgenic animal models have put wings on the research of peptide-based vaccines for TB. Hence, this review seeks to give an overview of current tools that can be used to design a peptide-based vaccine, the research status of peptide-based vaccines for TB, protein-based bacterial vaccine delivery systems, and animal models for the peptide-based vaccines. These explorations will provide approaches and strategies for developing safer and more effective peptide-based vaccines and contribute to achieving the WHO's End TB Strategy.
Topics: Animals; BCG Vaccine; Bacterial Proteins; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Mice; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Peptides; Tuberculosis; Vaccination; Vaccine Development; Vaccine Efficacy; Vaccines, Subunit
PubMed: 35173740
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.830497 -
Microbial Pathogenesis Dec 2022The ongoing global pandemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has a significant impact on global health and economy system. In this... (Review)
Review
The ongoing global pandemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has a significant impact on global health and economy system. In this context, there have been some landmark advances in vaccine development. Over 100 new coronavirus vaccine candidates have been approved for clinical trials, with ten WHO-approved vaccines including four inactivated virus vaccines, two mRNA vaccines, three recombinant viral vectored vaccines and one protein subunit vaccine on the "Emergency Use Listing". Although the SARS-CoV-2 has an internal proofreading mechanism, there have been a number of mutations emerged in the pandemic affecting its transmissibility, pathogenicity and immunogenicity. Of these, mutations in the spike (S) protein and the resultant mutant variants have posed new challenges for vaccine development and application. In this review article, we present an overview of vaccine development, the prevalence of new coronavirus variants and their impact on protective efficacy of existing vaccines and possible immunization strategies coping with the viral mutation and diversity.
Topics: Humans; Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Immunogenicity, Vaccine; Mutation; SARS-CoV-2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Vaccine Development; Vaccines, Inactivated
PubMed: 36243381
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105828 -
PloS One 2022Beliefs that the risks from a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks from getting COVID-19 and concerns that the vaccine development process was rushed and lacking rigor... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
PURPOSE
Beliefs that the risks from a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks from getting COVID-19 and concerns that the vaccine development process was rushed and lacking rigor have been identified as important drivers of hesitancy and refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We tested whether messages designed to address these beliefs and concerns might promote intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
METHOD
We conducted an online survey fielded between March 8-23, 2021 with US Veteran (n = 688) and non-Veteran (n = 387) respondents. In a between-subjects experiment, respondents were randomly assigned to a control group (with no message) or to read one of two intervention messages: 1. a fact-box styled message comparing the risks of getting COVID-19 compared to the vaccine, and 2. a timeline styled message describing the development process of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
RESULTS
Most respondents (60%) wanted a COVID-19 vaccine. However, 17% expressed hesitancy and 23% did not want to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The fact-box styled message and the timeline message did not significantly improve vaccination intentions, F(2,358) = 0.86, p = .425, [Formula: see text] = .005, or reduce the time respondents wanted to wait before getting vaccinated, F(2,306) = 0.79, p = .453, [Formula: see text] = .005, compared to no messages.
DISCUSSION
In this experimental study, we did not find that providing messages about vaccine risks and the development process had an impact on respondents' vaccine intentions. Further research is needed to identify how to effectively address concerns about the risks associated with COVID-19 vaccines and the development process and to understand additional factors that influence vaccine intentions.
Topics: COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Health Communication; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Intention; Vaccination; Vaccination Hesitancy; Vaccine Development; Vaccines
PubMed: 35930557
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272426 -
Trends in Microbiology Nov 2021Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global threat and alternative treatments substituting failing antibiotics are urgently needed. Vaccines are recognized as... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global threat and alternative treatments substituting failing antibiotics are urgently needed. Vaccines are recognized as highly effective tools to mitigate antimicrobial resistance; however, the selection of bacterial antigens as vaccine candidates remains challenging. In recent years, advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomics have led to the development of so-called immunopeptidomics approaches that allow the untargeted discovery of bacterial epitopes that are presented on the surface of infected cells. Especially for intracellular bacterial pathogens, immunopeptidomics holds great promise to uncover antigens that can be encoded in viral vector- or nucleic acid-based vaccines. This review provides an overview of immunopeptidomics studies on intracellular bacterial pathogens and considers future directions and challenges in advancing towards next-generation vaccines.
Topics: Antigens, Bacterial; Bacterial Vaccines; Mass Spectrometry; Proteomics; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 34030969
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.04.010 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022
Topics: Humans; Immunologic Memory; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Mycoses; Vaccine Development
PubMed: 35572566
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.880037 -
Expert Review of Vaccines 2023Fungal infections are caused by a broad range of pathogenic fungi that are found worldwide with different geographic distributions, incidences, and mortality rates.... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Fungal infections are caused by a broad range of pathogenic fungi that are found worldwide with different geographic distributions, incidences, and mortality rates. Considering that there are relatively few approved medications available for combating fungal diseases and no vaccine formulation commercially available, multiple groups are searching for new antifungal drugs, examining drugs for repurposing and developing antifungal vaccines, in order to control deaths, sequels, and the spread of these complex infections.
AREAS COVERED
This review provides a summary of advances in fungal vaccine studies and the different approaches under development, such as subunit vaccines, whole organism vaccines, and DNA vaccines, as well as studies that optimize the use of adjuvants. We conducted a literature search of the PubMed with terms: fungal vaccines and genus of fungal pathogens (Cryptococcus spp. Candida spp. Coccidioides spp. Aspergillus spp. Sporothrix spp. Histoplasma spp. Paracoccidioides spp. Pneumocystis spp. and the Mucorales order), a total of 177 articles were collected from database.
EXPERT OPINION
Problems regarding the immune response development in an immunocompromised organism, the similarity between fungal and mammalian cells, and the lack of attention by health organizations to fungal infections are closely related to the fact that, at present, there are no fungal vaccines available for clinical use.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Antifungal Agents; Fungi; Mycoses; Vaccines; Vaccine Development; Mammals
PubMed: 37936254
DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2023.2279570