Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a genetically diverse including six major genotypes and more than 86 subtypes, additionally, HCV has a rapid mutation of HCV leads to viral quasispecies that can escape the immune response in infected individuals. This makes developing HCV vaccines very challenging.
July 2021
Immunogenicity of heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vector vaccine prime-mRNA vaccine boost vaccination strategy
There are currently multiple trials that are investigating different strategies such as SARS-CoV-2 vector vaccine prime followed by an mRNA vaccine boost and vice versa. In this summary, we report on findings by Borobia et al., 2021,
Global Immunotalks Highlight: Immune responses after dengue virus infection: friend or foe?
We highlight Global-ImmunoTalks webinar featuring Dr Tineke Cantaert, Dr Cantaert began her talk highlighting the main focus of her research lab: Investigation of adaptive immune responses to Arboviruses.
What does HLA-DR expression on CD4 T cells indicate?
HLA-DR is a molecule typically expressed by antigen-presenting cells and is associated with antigen presentation. Interestingly HLA-DR is also expressed on T cells and has been associated with T cell activation. However, why and how activated T cells express HLA-DR is not fully understood.
IUIS-Immunopaedia-Frontiers Webinar: Immunopathology of COVID 19 lessons from pregnancy and from ageing
Prof Cossarizza webinar focused on COVID-19 immunopathology during pregnancy and ageing. He began his talk by highlighting the role inflammation plays in ...
Could infection with other viruses provide protection from SARS-CoV-2?
9 July 2021Cheemarla et al, studied Rhinovirus (RV) infection before SARS-CoV-2 exposure and they found that RV infection provided protection from SARS-CoV-2 replication by accelerating ISG responses.
Microbes prime foetal immune cells during early human development
7 July 2021Mishra, A. et al, found live bacterial strains including Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus which activated memory T cells in the foetal mesenteric lymph nodes. This suggests that microbes do play a role in foetal immune-priming.
The role of emergent food allergies in rethinking vaccine strategies
5 July 2021Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a food allergy to red mammalian meat, the allergy begins in some individuals after bites from certain ticks. Studies show that vaccines that contain gelatin from a bovine...
How Sickle-trait hemoglobin protects against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria
2 July 2021In a recent clinical trial Jens E. V. Petersen et al may have found a direct mechanism that explains how the sickle-cell hemoglobin (HbAS) trait protects against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. HbAs reduces the surface expression and function of PfEMP1...