Revisiting the expression of BDNF and its receptors in mammalian development.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes the survival and functioning of neurons in the central nervous system and contributes to proper functioning of many non-neural tissues. Although the regulation and role of BDNF have been extensively studied, a rigorous analysis of the expression dynamics of and its receptors and is lacking. Here, we have analyzed more than 3,600 samples from 18 published RNA sequencing datasets, and used over 17,000 samples from GTEx, and ~ 180 samples from BrainSpan database, to describe the expression of in the developing mammalian neural and non-neural tissues.

Differential patterns of cross-reactive antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein detected for chronically ill and healthy COVID-19 naïve individuals.

Immunity to previously encountered viruses can alter response to unrelated pathogens. We reasoned that similar mechanism may also involve SARS-CoV-2 and thereby affect the specificity and the quality of the immune response against the virus. Here, we employed high-throughput next generation phage display method to explore the link between antibody immune response to previously encountered antigens and spike (S) glycoprotein.

Melanoma-specific antigen-associated antitumor antibody reactivity as an immune-related biomarker for targeted immunotherapies.

Background: Immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the management of many cancers. However, a large number of patients show resistance to these immunotherapies and current research has provided limited findings for predicting response to precision immunotherapy treatments.

Methods: Here, we applied the next generation phage display mimotope variation analysis (MVA) to profile antibody response and dissect the role of humoral immunity in targeted cancer therapies, namely anti-tumor dendritic cell vaccine (MelCancerVac) and immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies (pembrolizumab).

Antibody response to oral biofilm is a biomarker for acute coronary syndrome in periodontal disease.

Cumulative evidence over the last decades have supported the role of gum infections as a risk for future major cardiovascular events. The precise mechanism connecting coronary artery disease (CAD) with periodontal findings has remained elusive. Here, we employ next generation phage display mimotope-variation analysis (MVA) to identify the features of dysfunctional immune system that associate CAD with periodontitis.

Immune response to a conserved enteroviral epitope of the major capsid VP1 protein is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Major cardiac events including myocardial infarction (MI) are associated with viral infections. However, how specific infections contribute to the cardiovascular insults has remained largely unclear.

Methods: We employed next generation phage display mimotope-variation analysis (MVA) to explore the link between antibody-based immune response and severe cardiovascular conditions.