Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 6.35 | Sep 5 2018

TOP STORY

Human Monoclonal Antibodies that Neutralize Pandemic GII.4 Noroviruses

Researchers studied the antibody-mediated response to the GII.4 strain by isolating monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to GII.4 from infected patients and developing virus neutralization assays. They used a robust human hybridoma technique to isolate mAbs from patients previously infected with norovirus and identified mAbs that blocked virus binding to cell receptors, using virus-like particles to test blockade ability. [Gastroenterology] Abstract

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Insulin Receptor-Mediated Stimulation Boosts T Cell Immunity during Inflammation and Infection

In a model of severe influenza infection with A/PR8, lack of insulin receptor on T cells curtails antigen-specific immunity to influenza viral antigens. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Persistent Marburg Virus Infection in the Testes of Nonhuman Primate Survivors

The authors discovered that persistent Marburg virus infection of seminiferous tubules, an immune-privileged site that harbors sperm production, is a relatively common event in crab-eating macaques that survived infection after antiviral treatment. [Cell Host Microbe] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Inhibition of p38MAPK in Combination with ART Reduces SIV-Induced Immune Activation and Provides Additional Protection from Immune System Deterioration

PH-797804 had no side effects, did not impact negatively the antiviral immune response and, used alone, had no significant effect on levels of immune activation and did not reduced the viremia. When administered with ART, it significantly reduced numerous immune activation markers compared to ART alone. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Inhibition of TRF2 Accelerates Telomere Attrition and DNA Damage in Naïve CD4 T Cells during HCV Infection

Researchers found that naïve CD4 T cells in chronically hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients were significantly reduced due to apoptosis compared with age-matched healthy subjects. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Passively Transferred M2e-Specific Monoclonal Antibody Reduces Influenza A Virus Transmission in Mice

Scientists showed that the matrix protein 2 (M2e)-specific IgG2a monoclonal antibody 65 can reduce influenza A/Udorn/72 and A/Hong Kong/68 virus plaque formation. [Antiviral Res] Abstract

IL-6 Is Required for Protective Immune Responses against Early Filarial Infection

Researchers investigated the role of IL-6 in immune responses to the rodent filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis, a model for human filarial infections. IL-6^-/- mice had a significantly increased worm burden after natural infection compared with wild type controls at early time points p.i. [Int J Parasitol] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

γδ T Cells Modulate Humoral Immunity against Plasmodium berghei Infection

Investigators showed that B cell-immunodeficient mice and γδ T cell-deficient mice were incapable of protecting against P. berghei XAT parasites. [Immunology] Abstract

IDLV-HIV-1 Env Vaccination in Non-Human Primates Induces Affinity Maturation of Antigen-Specific Memory B Cells

Scientists showed previously that a single immunization with a SIV-based integrase-defective lentiviral vector (IDLV) expressing the 1086.C HIV-1-envelope induced durable, high-magnitude immune responses in non-human primates. They characterized the humoral responses by assessing antibody affinity maturation and antigen-specific memory B-cell persistence in two vaccinated macaques. [Commun Biol] Full Article

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First Responders: Innate Immunity to Helminths

The authors focus on the innate immune pathways that regulate immunity to helminth parasites and describe how better understanding of these pathways may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies. [Trends Parasitol] Abstract

Immune Function of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells, Natural Killer Cells, and Their Crosstalk in HBV Infection

Investigators summarize recent findings regarding the role of natural killer cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and their cross-talk in HBV infection and its chronicity. [Rev Med Virol] Abstract

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Enanta Pharmaceuticals to Present New Data on Its RSV Inhibitor EDP-938

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that two abstracts have been accepted for presentation. [Press release from Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discussing research to be presented at the 11^th International Respiratory Syncytial Virus Symposium (RSV), Asheville] Press Release

Inovio Doses 1^st Subject in Phase I/II Clinical Trial for Vaccine against Deadly MERS Infection

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced announced the dosing of the first subject with its vaccine to prevent infection from the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus in a Phase I/IIa study to evaluate INO-4700. [Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release

Altimmune Announces Additional Positive Data from Its Phase IIa Study of NasoVAX Intranasal Influenza Vaccine

Altimmune, Inc. announced additional positive data from a Phase IIa study of its NasoVAX intranasal influenza vaccine candidate. [Altimmune, Inc.] Press Release

Inovio and Korean Partner Dose 1^st Subject In Trial to Develop World’s First Vaccine to Prevent Hepatitis C Infection

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and GeneOne Life Science announced they have dosed the first patient in a Phase I study designed to evaluate a preventive vaccine against hepatitis C infection. [Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release

Experimental Ebola Drugs Face Tough Test in War Zone

Health workers fighting the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have given nearly 20 people experimental drugs to treat the virus since mid-August. But because the drugs have been dispensed on a case-by-case, ‘compassionate use’ basis, it is hard to know whether any are effective. [Nature News] Editorial

Trump Science-Adviser Pick Breezes through Senate Committee Vote

Meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier is one step closer to becoming director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to President Donald Trump. [Nature News] Editorial

Documentary Puts Lens on the Open-Access Movement Upending Scientific Publishing

Jason Schmitt was working at Atlantic Records when the online site Napster disrupted the music industry by making copyrighted songs freely available. Now, the communications and media researcher at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, is pushing for a similar disruption of academic publishing with Paywall, a documentary about the open-access movement that debuts in a Washington, D.C., theater. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Open-Access Journal Editors Resign after Alleged Pressure to Publish Mediocre Papers

All ten senior editors of the open-access journal Nutrients resigned last month, alleging that the publisher, the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, pressured them to accept manuscripts of mediocre quality and importance. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

European Science Funders Ban Grantees from Publishing in Paywalled Journals

Frustrated with the slow transition toward open access in scientific publishing, eleven national funding organizations in Europe turned up the pressure. As of 2020, the group, which jointly spends about €7.6 billion on research annually, will require every paper it funds to be freely available from the moment of publication. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Gordon Research Conference: Tropical Infectious Diseases
March 24-29, 2019
Galveston, Texas, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Infection Medicine (Karolinska Institutet)

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Pneumonia (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen)

PhD Positions – Infection Biology and Immunology (ZIBI Graduate School Berlin)

Postdoctoral Scholar – Hepatitis B Infection (The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine)

Assistant/Associate Member Faculty Position – Viral Diseases (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Infection and Immunity (Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin)

Postdoctoral Fellows – Molecular Immunology and Infection Biology (CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences)

PhD Student/Postdoctoral Position – Infection and Cancer Immunology (Heinrich-Heine University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – HIV Transmission and Pathogenesis (University of California, San Francisco)

Faculty Positions – Infectious Disease Research (Institut Pasteur of Shanghai)

Postdoctoral Training Opportunity – Infection and Immunity (Institut Pasteur of Shanghai – Chinese Academy of Sciences)

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