influenza vaccines
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBroadly Reactive Influenza Antibodies Are Not Limited by Germinal Center Competition with High-Affinity AntibodiesIt is estimated that 250,000 to 650,000 individuals worldwide die each year from seasonal influenza A virus (IAV) infections. Current vaccines provide little protection against newly emerging strains. Thus, considerable effort is focused on enhancing the generation of broadly reactive IAV antibodies in order to develop a universal IAV vaccine. However, broadly reactive IAV antibodies are rare and the factors that limit their generation...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Lipase 1 Enhances Influenza A Virus ReplicationInfluenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics and sporadic pandemics of respiratory disease. Secondary bacterial coinfection by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus is the most common complication of primary IAV infection and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report the first identified...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionFcγ Receptors Contribute to the Antiviral Properties of Influenza Virus Neuraminidase-Specific AntibodiesThere is a pressing need for next-generation influenza vaccine strategies that are better able to manage antigenic drift and the cocirculation of multiple drift variants and that consistently improve vaccine effectiveness. Influenza virus NA is a key target antigen as a component of a next-generation vaccine in the influenza field, with evidence for a role in protective immunity in humans. However, mechanisms of protection provided by...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionGeneration of DelNS1 Influenza Viruses: a Strategy for Optimizing Live Attenuated Influenza VaccinesCurrent seasonal influenza vaccines are suboptimal and low in immunogenicity and do not provide long-lasting immunity and cross protection against influenza virus strains that have antigenically drifted. More-effective influenza vaccines which can induce both humoral immunity and T cell immunity are needed. The NS1 protein of influenza virus is a virulence element and the critical factor for regulation of the host immune response during...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionBroad and Protective Influenza B Virus Neuraminidase Antibodies in Humans after Vaccination and their Clonal Persistence as Plasma CellsInfluenza virus infections continue to cause substantial morbidity and mortality despite the availability of seasonal vaccines. The extensive genetic variability in seasonal and potentially pandemic influenza strains necessitates new vaccine strategies that can induce universal protection by focusing the immune response on generating protective antibodies against conserved targets such as regions within the influenza neuraminidase...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDesign of Nanoparticulate Group 2 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Stem Antigens That Activate Unmutated Ancestor B Cell Receptors of Broadly Neutralizing Antibody LineagesCurrent influenza vaccines are primarily strain specific, requiring annual updates, and offer minimal protection against drifted seasonal or pandemic strains. The highly conserved stem region of hemagglutinin (HA) of group 2 influenza A virus subtypes is a promising target for vaccine elicitation of broad cross-group protection against divergent strains. We used structure-guided protein engineering employing multiple protein...
- Editor's Pick Research ArticleInfluenza Virus Hemagglutinin Stalk-Specific Antibodies in Human Serum are a Surrogate Marker for In Vivo Protection in a Serum Transfer Mouse Challenge Model
Influenza viruses are a serious concern for public health and cause a large number of deaths worldwide every year. Current influenza virus vaccines can confer protection from disease, but they often show low efficacy due to the ever-changing nature of the viruses. Novel vaccination approaches target conserved epitopes of the virus, including the hemagglutinin stalk domain, to elicit universally protective antibodies that also bind to...