COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic health, social and economic global challenge. There is urgent need to maximize testing capacity. Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) represent good candidates for point-of-care and mass surveillance testing to rapidly identify S...
Improving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapeutic outcomes and expanding its applicability to solid tumors requires further refinement of CAR-T cells. We previously reported that CAR-T cells bearing a herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM)-der...
Human norovirus is a major human pathogen causing the majority of cases of viral gastroenteritis globally. Viral entry is the first step of the viral life cycle and is a significant determinant of cell tropism, host range, immune interactions, and pa...
WHO recommends surveillance for COVID-19 among travelers at Points of Entry (POE) to countries. At 13 selected POE at the Nepal-India border, between March 2021 and July 2021, we describe the screening, testing, diagnosis and isolation practices of C...
An increased expression and cytoplasmic abundance of the ubiquitous RNA binding protein human antigen R (HuR) is critically implicated in the dysregulated control of post-transcriptional gene expression during colorectal cancer development and is fre...
Background: Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is one of the most common causes of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. One sequela of this infection is the development of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). It has been suggested that a...
Coronavirus-cell entry programs involve virus-cell membrane fusions mediated by viral spike (S) proteins. Coronavirus S proteins acquire membrane fusion competence by receptor interactions, proteolysis, and acidification in endosomes. This review des...
20 August 2018
Background: Market access stakeholders consider the adoption of Managed Entry Agreements (MEAs), however a clearly described methodology to quantify their implementation burden is not available in the public domain. Objective: To quantify the cost of...
Astroviruses are enterically transmitted viruses that cause infections in mammalian and avian species. Astroviruses are nonenveloped, icosahedral viruses comprised of a capsid protein shell and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. The capsid...
The surface spike (S) glycoprotein mediates cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host through fusion at the plasma membrane or endocytosis. Omicron lineages/sublineages have acquired extensive mutations in S to gain transmissibility advantages and alter...
Mucosal vaccines offer several advantages over injectable conventional vaccines, such as the induction of adaptive immunity, with secretory IgA production at the entry site of most pathogens, and needle-less vaccinations. Despite their potential, onl...
Recombinant immunoglobulins, derived from monoclonal antibodies recognizing the defined surface epitopes expressed on dendritic cells, have been employed for the past two decades to deliver antigens to dendritic cells in vivo, serving as critical too...
The expression of blood group antigens varies across human populations and geographical regions due to natural selection and the influence of environment factors and disease. The red cell membrane is host to numerous surface antigens which are able t...
Despite high similarity of canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), bovine coronavirus, (BCoV) and human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), these viruses differ in species specificity. For years it was believed that they share receptor specificity, utilizi...
Pestiviruses, which include economically important animal pathogens such as bovine viral diarrhea virus and classical swine fever virus, possess three envelope glycoproteins, namely Erns, E1, and E2. This article discusses the structures and function...
As a canonical lymphocyte antigen-6/urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor Ly6/uPAR family protein, lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus E (LY6E), plays important roles in immunological regulation, T cell physiology, and oncogenesis. Emerging e...
The S glycoprotein of coronaviruses is important for viral entry and pathogenesis with most variable sequences. Therefore, we analyzed the S gene sequences of SARS-CoV-2 to better understand the antigenicity and immunogenicity of this virus in this s...
Glycan-mediated processes can be critical determinants of viral attachment and entry, yet for enveloped RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, their mechanistic roles remain incompletely defined. This review synthesizes current structural and functional...
The objective of this study was to conduct preclinical immunogenicity and efficacy studies with several therapeutic vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV)-16-associated cancers expressing the early antigens E5, E6, and E7 with or without E2. The vir...
CMV is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals that will benefit from the availability of a vaccine. Despite the efforts made during the last decade, no CMV vaccine is available. An ideal CMV vaccine should elicit a...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology, which is characterized by inflammation in the synovium and joint damage. Although the pathogenesis of RA remains to be determined, a combination of environmental...
Hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein is an important focus of influenza research due to its role in antigenic drift and shift, as well as its receptor binding and membrane fusion functions, which are indispensable for viral entry. Over the past four decad...
Background/Objectives: Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous pathogen responsible for significant malignancies and autoimmune diseases, yet no prophylactic vaccine is available. The viral entry glycoproteins gL/gH and gB are essential for in...
28 September 2023
Following viral infection, T-cells are crucial for an effective immune response to intracellular pathogens, including respiratory viruses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, diverse assays were required in pre-clinical trials to evaluate the immune respon...
The nasal mucosa is the main gateway for entry, replication and elimination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the pathogen that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19). The presence of the virus in the epithelium causes damage to the nasal mucosa...
Several viruses have demonstrated the potential for infecting the human male genital tract, leading to potential host pathologic consequences and sexual transmission. Despite the testes being an immune-privileged niche of the body, viruses like Zika,...
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an enveloped virus with a remarkable capacity for genetic diversification, enabling rapid escape from host immune responses and therapeutic interventions. Despite extensive global efforts, the development of an e...
Background: While vaccines are designed to elicit targeted immune responses, in some cases, the immunogenic molecules employed can inherently interact with broader host cellular pathways as a secondary consequence. This phenomenon can be exemplified...
The development of a universal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine holds great promise for achieving broad and durable protection against existing and future coronavirus variants. The identification, selection, and rational redesign of conserved viral epitopes consti...
Influenza virus enters the host body through the mucosal surface of the respiratory tract. An efficient immune response at the mucosal site can interfere with virus entry and prevent infection. However, formulating oral vaccines and eliciting an effe...
The constantly evolving severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC) fuel the worldwide coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The spike protein is essential for the SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and thus has been...
Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) remain prominent global human pathogens, particularly in dense, crowded populations. The advent of genomic and bioinformatic tools allows for high-resolution means to identify, characterize, and understand these pathogens....
The most successful medical intervention for preventing infectious diseases is still vaccination. This effective strategy has resulted in decreased mortality and extended life expectancy. However, there is still a critical need for novel vaccination...
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein is central to viral infectivity, host–pathogen interactions, and immune recognition. Beyond its indispensable role in viral entry, accumulating experimental and...
Vaccines against blood-stage malaria often aim to induce antibodies to neutralize parasite entry into red blood cells, interferon gamma (IFNγ) produced by T helper 1 (Th1) CD4+ T cells or interleukin 4 (IL-4) produced by T helper 2 (Th2) cells...
The lymphatic system plays crucial roles in immunity far beyond those of simply providing conduits for leukocytes and antigens in lymph fluid. Endothelial cells within this vasculature are distinct and highly specialized to perform roles based upon t...
Recently, nanofibers (NFs) formed from antigenic peptides conjugated to β-sheet-forming peptides have attracted much attention as a new generation of vaccines. However, studies describing how the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of NF components...
Sindbis alphavirus vectors offer a promising platform for cancer therapy, serving as valuable models for alphavirus-based treatment. This review emphasizes key studies that support the targeted delivery of Sindbis vectors to tumor cells, highlighting...
Virus-neutralizing antibodies (VNAs) serve as critical components of host immune defense, countering viral infections by specifically recognizing epitopes on viral surface antigens to block viral entry and replication. This review elucidates the func...
Hantaviruses are found throughout the world and can cause deadly diseases in humans, specifically, hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in the New World and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the Old World. Currently, no FDA-approv...
Afferent lymphatic vessels (LVs) mediate the transport of antigen and leukocytes to draining lymph nodes (dLNs), thereby serving as immunologic communication highways between peripheral tissues and LNs. The main cell types migrating via this route ar...
Antigen screening for the SARS-CoV-2 S1 spike protein is among the most promising tools for the mass monitoring of asymptomatic carriers of the virus, especially in limited resource environments. Herewith, we report on the possible use of the angiote...
Background/Objectives: The emergence of immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the need for adaptable vaccine strategies. Trimeric receptor-binding domain (tRBD) antigens offer structural and immunological advantages over monomeric RBDs, but D...
The use of short oligonucleotide or peptide molecules as target-specific aptamers has recently garnered substantial attention in the field of the detection and treatment of viral infections. Based on their high affinity and high specificity to desire...
Actin depolymerization factor (ADF) cofilin-1 is a key cytoskeleton component that serves to lessen cortical actin. HIV-1 manipulates cofilin-1 regulation as a pre- and post-entry requisite. Disruption of ADF signaling is associated with denial of en...
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a leading cause of permanent birth defects, highlighting the need to develop an HCMV vaccine candidate. However, HCMV vaccine development is complicated by the varying capacity of neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to inter...
WEE1 kinase is a crucial cell cycle regulatory protein that controls the timing of mitotic entry. WEE1, via inhibition of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 (CDK1) and Cyclin-dependent Kinase 2 (CDK2), governs the G2-M checkpoint by inhibiting entry into mito...
Background/Objectives: Recurrent influenza epidemics impose a severe global burden, with conventional vaccines constrained by production time lags and rapid viral mutation. This study aims to explore a novel influenza mRNA vaccine design that balance...
Human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) is an endemic coronavirus responsible for approximately one-third of “common cold” cases. To infect target cells, HCoV-229E first binds to its receptor on the cell surface and then can follow different p...
The Ly6 (lymphocyte antigen-6)/uPAR (urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor) superfamily protein is a group of molecules that share limited sequence homology but conserved three-fingered structures. Despite diverse cellular functions, such as...
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