Design of a multiepitopic Zaire ebolavirus protein and its expression in plant cells.

The recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks make the development of efficacious and low cost vaccines against Ebola virus (EBOV) an urgent goal. Multiepitopic vaccines allow a rational design rendering vaccines able to induce proper immune responses in terms of polarization and potency. In addition, the pathogen variants can be easily covered by including epitopes conserved among relevant isolates.

An immunoinformatic approach for identification of Trypanosoma cruzi HLA-A2-restricted CD8(+) T cell epitopes.

Chagas disease is a major neglected tropical disease caused by persistent chronic infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. An estimated 8 million people are infected with T. cruzi, however only 2 drugs are approved for treatment and no vaccines are available.

Report from the field: Fifth Vaccine Renaissance in Providence RI.

When the next pandemic emerges, will we be ready? Experts say that the number of animal to human "species jumps" is bound to increase as populations increase and the speed of travel between continents accelerates. Typical pandemic timelines no longer apply.(1) Pandemic H1N1 traveled the world in just weeks, as did SARS, despite major efforts to contain both outbreaks.