Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 4.46 | Nov 23 2016

TOP STORY

IFN-α/IFN-λ Responses to Respiratory Viruses in Pediatric Asthma

The authors analyzed the influence of rhinovirus in nasopharyngeal fluid on type I and III interferon (IFN) responses and their signal transduction, at baseline and during disease exacerbation, in cohorts of pre-school children with and without asthma. [Eur Respir J] Abstract

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Controlled Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Mice Under Treatment with Anti-IL-17A or IL-17F Antibodies, in Contrast to TNFα Neutralization

Scientists compared the effect of antibodies neutralizing IL-17A, IL-17F or TNFα on murine host responses to M. tuberculosis infection by evaluating lung transcriptomic, microbiological and histological analyses. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Differential Mucosal IL-10-Induced Immunoregulation of Innate Immune Responses Occurs in Influenza Infected Infants/Toddlers and Adults

Researchers utilized an infant/toddler murine model infected with influenza virus with an adult comparator. In the model, young mice exhibited lower interleukin (IL)-10⁺IFNγ⁺ co-producing CD4 T cells infiltrating the lungs that paralleled with a failed switch from an innate to adaptive immune response at the mid infection stage. [Immunol Cell Biol] Abstract

Innate Immune Memory Contributes to Host Defense against Recurrent Skin and Skin Structure Infections Caused By Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Skin and skin structure infection was induced in wild-type and rag1^-/- mice in BALB/c and C57BL/6 backgrounds. Compared to naïve controls, prior infection in wild-type and rag1^-/- mice of either background afforded protection against repeat infection, as evidenced by reduced abscess severity and lower CFU density. [Infect Immun] Abstract

Immunization with Brugia malayi Myosin as Heterologous DNA Prime Protein Boost Induces Protective Immunity against B. malayi Infection in Mastomys coucha

Myo-pcD+recombinant heavy chain myosin of B. malayi triggered higher production of specific IgG and its isotypes which induced marked cellular adhesion and cytotoxicity to microfilariae and L3 in vitro. [PLoS One] Full Article

HIV

HIV-1 Control by NK Cells via Reduced Interaction between KIR2DL2 and HLA-C*12:02/C*14:03

Researchers investigated 504 anti-retroviral-free Japanese patients chronically infected with HIV-1 and identified two KIR/HLA combinations, KIR2DL2/HLA-C*12:02 and KIR2DL2/HLA-C*14:03, that impact suppression of HIV-1 replication. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

LC3C Contributes to Vpu-Mediated Antagonism of BST2/Tetherin Restriction on HIV-1 Release through a Non-Canonical Autophagy Pathway

Scientists investigated whether the autophagy pathway and/or ATG proteins are hijacked by HIV-1 Vpu to circumvent bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST2) restriction of viral release. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Mucosal Vaccination with a Live Recombinant Rhinovirus Followed By Intradermal DNA Administration Elicits Potent and Protective HIV-Specific Immune Responses

The authors report the efficacy of a mucosal HIV vaccine strategy comprising intranasal vaccination with a cocktail of live recombinant human rhinoviruses encoding overlapping fragments of HIV Gag and full length Tat followed by intradermal vaccination with DNA vaccines encoding HIV Gag and Tat. [Sci Rep] Full Article | Press Release

Immune Activation at Sites of HIV/TB Co-Infection Contributes to the Pathogenesis of HIV-1 Disease

Researchers measured markers of immune activation both in pleural fluid and plasma, and in T cells in pleural fluid mononuclear cell and peripheral blood mononuclear cell in HIV/TB co-infected subjects. The relationship between soluble and T cell activation markers with viral load in pleural fluid and blood CD4 T cell count were assessed. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Role of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPS) in Immune Responses to Fungal Infections

The authors highlight the role of Toll-like receptor participants in fungal recognition as well as their mechanisms. [Eur J Pharmacol] Abstract

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ABIVAX to Present Phase IIa Clinical Data on ABX464

ABIVAX announced today that the Company is presenting clinical data on ABX464, ABIVAX’s first-in-class drug candidate for the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. [Press release from ABIVAX discussing research presented at the NIH/NIAID-Sponsored Strategies for an HIV Cure Meeting 2016, Bethesda] Press Release

Theratechnologies Announces Results from the Last Pivotal Phase III Trial of HIV Long Acting Biologic (LAB) Investigational Antiretroviral Ibalizumab

Theratechnologies Inc. announced that it has been notified by its partner, TaiMed Biologics, Inc., of the preliminary results for the safety and efficacy secondary endpoints of the 24-week Phase III trial with ibalizumab in patients with multi-drug resistant HIV-1. [Theratechnologies Inc.] Press Release

Integral Molecular Isolates Zika-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies for Vaccine Research and Diagnostics

Integral Molecular announced the isolation of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for the Zika virus envelope, thereby enabling vital vaccine research and the development of improved diagnostics to combat the ongoing Zika epidemic. [Integral Molecular] Press Release

Yisheng Biopharma Announces Completion of Phase I Clinical Study of a Novel Hepatitis B Vaccine with PIKA Adjuvant

Yisheng Biopharma Co., Ltd. announced the completion of Phase I clinical trial of PIKA Hepatitis B vaccine, an investigational vaccine designed to provide both prophylactic and therapeutic benefits against hepatitis B virus infection. [Yisheng Biopharma Co., Ltd. (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

NgAgo Gene-Editing Controversy Escalates in Peer-Reviewed Papers

A heated dispute over gene-editing that began online is now playing out in the scientific literature. Six months ago, Chinese researchers reported that an enzyme called NgAgo could be used to edit mammalian genes – and that it might be more accurate and more versatile than the popular CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. [Nature News] Editorial

Immigrant and Minority Scientists Shaken by Trump Win

Scientists are reconsidering whether to work or study in the United States. Worries include job prospects, discrimination—and safety. [Nature News] Editorial

Peer-Review ‘Heroes’ Do Lion’s Share of the Work

In 2015, the number of scientists in the life sciences far exceeded the demand on them for peer review, according to Michail Kovanis, a computational physicist at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, and his colleagues. Yet their study also suggests – based on data obtained from a rapidly-growing website of peer-review activity – that 20% of the scientists undertook between 69% and 94% of reviews last year, lending credence to some researchers’ complaints that they are overburdened. [Nature News] Editorial

Cautious Welcome for UK’s Vague £2 Billion Research Pledge

UK scientists have welcomed a surprise government promise to invest an extra £2 billion (US$2.5 billion) per year into research and development by 2020 – although details of the pledge will not be made clear for at least another two days. [Nature News] Editorial

Conservatives, Liberals Team Up against Animal Research

“Painful, bizarre, and wasteful experiments.” Buying dogs “just to cut them apart … and kill them.” These statements might sound like the rhetoric used by extreme animal rights groups, but they come from White Coat Waste—a new, unlikely coalition of fiscal conservatives and liberal activists that aims to end federal funding for research involving dogs and other animals by targeting people’s pocketbooks in addition to their heartstrings. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Translational Opportunities in Stem Cell Research
February 27-March 1, 2017
Basel, Switzerland

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NEW Postdoctoral Position – Immunology of HIV-1 and Cancer (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

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Research Technologist – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology of Chronic HBV Infection (F. Hoffmann-La Roche)

Project Research Scientist – Malaria Research (The Francis Crick Institute)

PhD Prize Studentships (University of Oxford)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunology (Klinikum der Universität München)

Faculty Positions – Immunology (Ohio State University)

Faculty Position – Senior Immunologist (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Quantitative Infectious Disease Methods (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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