Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 7.02 | Jan 23 2019

TOP STORY

Prevention of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease by Local BCG in Repeatedly Exposed Rhesus Macaques

The authors showed that pulmonary Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) prevents infection by using a repeated limiting-dose Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge model and identify polyfunctional T-helper type 17 cells, interleukin-10 and immunoglobulin A as correlates of local protective immunity. [Nat Med] Abstract

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Hepatitis D Virus-Specific CD8⁺ T Cells Have a Memory-Like Phenotype Associated with Viral Immune Escape in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis D Virus Infection

Investigators isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 28 patients with chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) and HBV infection, identified HDV-specific CD8⁺ T-cell epitopes and characterized HDV-specific CD8⁺ T cells. They associated these with HDV sequence variations and clinical features of patients. [Gastroenterology] Abstract

Interferon Lambda Protects the Female Reproductive Tract against Zika Virus Infection

Scientists showed that treatment of primary human vaginal and cervical epithelial cells with interferon (IFN)-α/β or IFN-λ induces host defense transcriptional signatures and inhibits Zika virus infection. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Cross-Lineage Protection by Human Antibodies Binding the Influenza B Hemagglutinin

Investigators developed novel influenza B virus (IBV) hemagglutinin (HA) probes to interrogate humoral responses to IBV in humans. A significant proportion of IBV HA-specific B cells recognise both B/Victoria/2/87-like and B/Yamagata/16/88-like lineages in a distinct pattern of cross-reactivity. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Cofilin Hyperactivation in HIV Infection and Targeting the Cofilin Pathway Using an Anti-α4β7 Integrin Antibody

Scientists demonstrated that blood CD4 T cells from HIV-infected patients, with or without ART, exhibited significantly lower levels of cofilin phosphorylation than those from healthy controls; cofilin hyperactivation was also associated with poor CD4 T cell recovery following ART. [Sci Adv] Full Article

Direct Inhibition of Hepatitis B Virus e Antigen by Core Protein Allosteric Modulator

The authors showed that in contrast to phenylpropenamide series compound AT‐130, a novel heteroaryldihydropyrimidine core protein allosteric modulator, HAP_R01, reduced hepatitis B e antigen levels in multiple in vitro and in vivo hepatitis B virus experimental models. [Hepatology] Abstract

STAT3 Expression by Myeloid Cells Is Detrimental for the T- Cell-Mediated Control of Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Researchers showed that M. tuberculosis-infected stat3^fl/fl lysm cre mice, defective for STAT3 in myeloid cells, contained lower bacterial load in lungs and spleens, reduced granuloma extension but higher levels of pulmonary neutrophils. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

PD-1/PD-L1 Pathway Modulates Macrophage Susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Specific CD8⁺ T Cell Induced Death

Scientists studied the role of PD-1 pathway and macrophage polarization on M. tuberculosis-specific CD8⁺ T cell-induced macrophage death. They observed that both PD-L1 on CD14⁺ cells and PD-1 on CD8⁺ T cells were highly expressed at the site of infection in pleurisy TB patients’ effusion samples. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Proteo-Transcriptomic Dynamics of Cellular Response to HIV-1 Infection

Researchers investigated the dynamic host response to HIV-1 infection by systematically measuring transcriptomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic expression changes in infected and uninfected SupT1 CD4⁺ T cells at five time points of the viral replication process. [Sci Rep] Full Article

OVX836 a Recombinant Nucleoprotein Vaccine Inducing Cellular Responses and Protective Efficacy against Multiple Influenza A Subtypes

Intramuscular immunization in mice with OVX836 induced strong nucleoprotein-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell systemic responses and established CD8⁺ tissue memory T cells in the lung parenchyma. [npj Vaccines] Full Article

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Sodium in the Microenvironment Regulates Immune Responses and Tissue Homeostasis

Sodium intake may influence the activation status of the immune system through direct effects on T helper cell subsets and innate immune cells in tissues such as the skin and other target organs. [Nat Rev Immunol] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the immunology of infectious disease research field.

Cocrystal Pharma Provides Update on Clinical Development Program Evaluating CC-31244 for Ultra-Short Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus

Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. announced safety and preliminary efficacy data for its U.S. Phase IIa study evaluating CC-31244 for the ultra-short treatment of hepatitis C virus infected individuals. [Cocrystal Pharma, Inc.] Press Release

Sanofi UK Marketing Authorization Granted for Sanofi Pasteur’s Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (Split Virion, Inactivated) High Dose (TIV High Dose)

UK marketing authorization has been granted for Sanofi Pasteur’s Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (Split Virion, Inactivated) High Dose (TIV High Dose), which is indicated for active immunization of people 65 years of age and older against influenza disease. [Sanofi Pasteur (GlobeNewswire, Inc.)] Press Release

PrimeVax Immuno-Oncology Signs Exclusive Worldwide Dengue Virus License with US Army for Cancer Treatments

PrimeVax Immuno-Oncology, Inc. announced that the company has just signed an exclusive, worldwide license with the US Army Medical Materials Development Activity, Ft. Detrick, MD, USAMMDA, authorizing PrimeVax to use dengue virus-1 #45AZ5 strain for treatment of cancer. [PrimeVax Immuno-Oncology, Inc. (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

U.S. Patent Office Issues CEL-SCI Two Patents for Its LEAPS Vaccine Platform Technology

CEL-SCI Corporation announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued two new U.S. patents for the company’s LEAPS platform technology. [CEL-SCI Corporation (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

Neglected-Disease Research Funding Hits Record High

Research funding for diseases that predominantly affect people living in poverty hit a record high in 2017, according to a report released on 23 January by Policy Cures Research, a global-health think tank in Sydney, Australia. [Nature News] Editorial

Brazil’s New President Has Scientists Worried. Here’s Why

Brazil has long been a frontrunner in climate change policy and environmental diplomacy. The international conventions on climate change and biological diversity, for example, were born during the historic United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and Brazil played a key role in crafting and implementing both agreements. That legacy is now at risk. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Number of EU Research Students in Britain Drops from Pre-Referendum High

The number of postgraduate researchers at UK universities who come from other European Union countries has fallen since the Brexit referendum in June 2016. [Nature News] Editorial

CRISPR-Baby Scientist Fired by University

The scientist who announced last year that he had produced the world’s first gene-edited babies has been fired by his university. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Gordon Research Conference: Tuberculosis Drug Discovery & Development
July 7-12, 2019
Castelldefels, Spain

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

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Immunopathogenesis of In Utero Zika Virus Infection (University of Saskatchewan)

NEW Senior Lecturer – Infection Immunology (University of Gothenburg)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology/Immunometabolism (Technische Universitat Braunschweig)

Project Research Scientist – Malaria (The Francis Crick Institute)

Senior Scientist and Postdoctoral Positions – HIV Molecular Virology (Buck Institute)

Full Professor – Molecular and Experimental Virology (University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover)

PhD Student Positions – Infection Biology of Human Pathogens (The Max von Pettenkofer Institute)

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor – Virology (University of Maryland at Baltimore)

Lectureship – Infectious Diseases (King’s College London)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology (Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School)

Director – Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology, and Infection (Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science)

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