Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development for Viral Diseases

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Therapeutic Vaccines and Antibody Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 2960

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Vascular Program, Department of Genetic Medicine, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Interests: gene transcription in oxygen biology; autophagy; ubiquitin-proteosome system; cell signaling; influenza virus; dengue virus; program cell death; epigenetics; drug discovery and development; chemical biology

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Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Medical School University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: medical microbiology; antimicrobial resistance; infection control; respiratory viruses; investigation of microbial outbreaks
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antiviral therapy through vaccines has saved countless lives and kept outbreaks and pandemics like smallpox, influenza and COVID-19 under check. The immune system can target any pathogen, yet we still become infected with novel infectious agents throughout our lives. 

An exhaustive catalog of factors from hosts and pathogens that underpin whether an infection triggers or suppresses an immune response is needed to facilitate targeted therapy and reliable prognosis. In addition to reports on vaccine discovery and development, we seek basic research on the roles of viral proteins in immune response during infection and the cellular machineries these viral proteins regulate in reproduction, virulence and dormancy for improved vaccine and immunotherapies. Submissions on the discovery, development and reviews of biologics like the antibodies used in immunotherapy will also be considered for inclusion in this Special Issue. Reports on small molecules and natural products that facilitate immune activation or suppression during viral infections are also welcome.     

Dr. Emmanuel Datan
Prof. Dr. Athanassios Tsakris
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • antibodies
  • vaccines
  • immunotherapy
  • virulence
  • antivirals
  • small molecules
  • natural products
  • virus

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1325 KiB  
Article
Did We Overreact? Insights on COVID-19 Disease and Vaccination in a Large Cohort of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Patients during Sequential Phases of the Pandemic (The BELCOMID Study)
by Jeroen Geldof, Marie Truyens, João Sabino, Marc Ferrante, Jo Lambert, Hilde Lapeere, Tom Hillary, An Van Laethem, Kurt de Vlam, Patrick Verschueren, Triana Lobaton, Elizaveta Padalko and Séverine Vermeire
Vaccines 2024, 12(10), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101157 - 11 Oct 2024
Abstract
Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic becomes an endemic state, still many questions remain regarding the risks and impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) who were excluded from the phase 3 COVID-19 vaccination trials. Methods: The BELCOMID [...] Read more.
Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic becomes an endemic state, still many questions remain regarding the risks and impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) who were excluded from the phase 3 COVID-19 vaccination trials. Methods: The BELCOMID study collected patient data and serological samples from a large, multicentric IMID patient cohort that was prospectively followed during sequential stages of the pandemic. Patients were stratified according to vaccination status into five groups across three sampling periods. Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination status, IMID-treatment modalities and IMID course were explored. Results: In total, 2165 patients with IBD, a dermatological or rheumatological IMID participated. SARS-CoV-2 infection rates increased over the course of the pandemic and were highest in IMID patients that had refused every vaccine. After baseline COVID-19 vaccination, serologic spike (S)-antibody responses were attenuated by particular types of immune-modulating treatment: anti-TNF, rituximab, JAKi, systemic steroids, combined biologic/immunomodulator treatment. Nonetheless, S-antibody concentration increased progressively in patients who received a booster vaccination, reaching 100% seroconversion rate in patients who had received two booster vaccines. Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was found as a predictor of higher S-antibody response. Patients who had refused every vaccine showed the lowest rates of S-seroconversion (53.8%). Multiple logistic regression did not identify previous SARS-CoV-2 infection as a risk factor for IMID flare-up. Furthermore, no increased risk of IMID flare-up was found with booster vaccination. Conclusions: Altogether, the BELCOMID study provides evidence for the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccination and confirms the importance of repeated booster vaccination in IMID patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development for Viral Diseases)
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10 pages, 1280 KiB  
Article
Glycoprotein-Specific Polyclonal Antibodies Targeting Machupo Virus Protect Guinea Pigs against Lethal Infection
by Joseph W. Golden, Steven A. Kwilas and Jay W. Hooper
Vaccines 2024, 12(6), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060674 - 18 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Convalescent plasma has been shown to be effective at protecting humans against severe diseases caused by New World (NW) arenaviruses, including Junin virus (JUNV) and Machupo virus (MACV). This plasma contains antibodies against the full complement of structural proteins including the nucleocapsid and [...] Read more.
Convalescent plasma has been shown to be effective at protecting humans against severe diseases caused by New World (NW) arenaviruses, including Junin virus (JUNV) and Machupo virus (MACV). This plasma contains antibodies against the full complement of structural proteins including the nucleocapsid and envelope glycoproteins (GPcs) consisting of GP1 and GP2. To gain insights into the protective and cross-protective properties of anti-GPc-specific polyclonal antibodies, we evaluated the ability of a DNA vaccine-produced anti-GPc rabbit antisera targeting MACV strain Carvallo to provide heterologous protection against another MACV strain termed Chicava in the Hartley guinea pig model. The neutralizing activity of the rabbit antisera against the heterologous MACV strains Chicava and Mallale was found to be 54-fold and 23-fold lower, respectively, compared to the titer against the homologous MACV strain Carvallo in the PRNT50 assay. Despite lower neutralizing activity against the strain Chicava, the rabbit antisera protected 100% of the guinea pigs from this strain when administered up to four days post-infection, whereas all the control animals succumbed to the disease. Using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) particles pseudotyped with MACV GPc, we identified a single amino acid difference at position 122 between the strains Chicava and Carvallo GPc that significantly influenced the neutralization activity of the rabbit antisera. These findings indicate that polyclonal antibodies targeting the MACV glycoproteins can protect against lethal infection in a post-challenge setting. These data will help guide future antibody-based therapeutics development against NW arenaviruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development for Viral Diseases)
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16 pages, 5287 KiB  
Article
The Milk of Cows Immunized with Trivalent Inactivated Vaccines Provides Broad-Spectrum Passive Protection against Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Neonatal Mice
by Xiaohui Wei, Jing Wu, Wanjun Peng, Xin Chen, Lihong Zhang, Na Rong, Hekai Yang, Gengxin Zhang, Gaoying Zhang, Binbin Zhao and Jiangning Liu
Vaccines 2024, 12(6), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060570 - 23 May 2024
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Abstract
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a contagious viral infection predominantly affecting infants and young children, caused by multiple enteroviruses, including Enterovirus 71 (EV71), Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), Coxsackievirus A10 (CA10), and Coxsackievirus A6 (CA6). The high pathogenicity of HFMD has garnered significant [...] Read more.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a contagious viral infection predominantly affecting infants and young children, caused by multiple enteroviruses, including Enterovirus 71 (EV71), Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), Coxsackievirus A10 (CA10), and Coxsackievirus A6 (CA6). The high pathogenicity of HFMD has garnered significant attention. Currently, there is no specific treatment or broad-spectrum preventive measure available for HFMD, and existing monovalent vaccines have limited impact on the overall incidence or prevalence of the disease. Consequently, with the emergence of new viral strains driven by vaccine pressure, there is an urgent need to develop strategies for the rapid response and control of new outbreaks. In this study, we demonstrated the broad protective effect of maternal antibodies against three types of HFMD by immunizing mother mice with a trivalent inactivated vaccine targeting EV71, CA16, and CA10, using a neonatal mouse challenge model. Based on the feasibility of maternal antibodies as a form of passive immunization to prevent HFMD, we prepared a multivalent antiviral milk by immunizing dairy cows with the trivalent inactivated vaccine to target multiple HFMD viruses. In the neonatal mouse challenge model, this immunized milk exhibited extensive passive protection against oral infections caused by the three HFMD viruses. Compared to vaccines, this strategy may offer a rapid and broadly applicable approach to providing passive immunity for the prevention of HFMD, particularly in response to the swift emergence and spread of new variants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development for Viral Diseases)
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