Publications by authors named "Arangassery Rosemary Bastian"

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a significant disease burden in adults with chronic comorbidities. Rates of severe RSV disease and death are as high, or higher in younger adults with risk factors than in healthy older adults in whom RSV vaccination is recommended. We conducted an immunobridging study using the Ad26/protein RSV preF vaccine, which previously demonstrated efficacy in adults aged ≥65 years to support extrapolation of efficacy demonstrated in an older population to younger adult populations at high risk of severe RSV disease.

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Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) and reinfects adults throughout life, posing a risk for hospitalization in older adults (>60 years) with frailty and comorbidities.

Methods: To investigate serum and mucosal antibodies for protection against RSV infections, baseline serum samples were compared for RSV-pre- and -post-fusion (F) binding, and RSV-A2 neutralizing IgG antibodies between symptomatic RSV-ARTI ( = 30), non-RSV (RSV negative) ARTI ( = 386), and no ARTI ( = 338). Mucosal RSV-pre-F IgA and IgG levels, as well as serum RSV-G IgG antibodies, were analyzed to determine their association with protection from symptomatic RSV-ARTI in a subset study.

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The Ad26.RSV.preF/RSV preF protein vaccine has previously demonstrated efficacyin protecting older adults against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related lower respiratory tract disease in a phase 2b study.

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Background: Ad26.RSV.preF-RSV preF protein showed 80·0% vaccine efficacy against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in older adults during one RSV season.

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Background: Since influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) carry significant burden in older adults with overlapping seasonality, vaccines for both pathogens would ideally be coadministered in this population. Here we evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of concomitant administration of Ad26.RSV.

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Introduction: The immune mechanisms supporting partial protection from reinfection and disease by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have not been fully characterized. In older adults, symptoms are typically mild but can be serious in patients with comorbidities when the infection extends to the lower respiratory tract.

Methods: This study formed part of the RESCEU older-adults prospective-cohort study in Northern Europe (2017-2019; NCT03621930) in which a thousand participants were followed over an RSV season.

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Background: Ad26.RSV.preF is an adenovirus serotype 26 vector-based respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine encoding a prefusion conformation-stabilized RSV fusion protein (preF) that demonstrated robust humoral and cellular immunogenicity and showed promising efficacy in a human challenge study in younger adults.

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RSV is divided into two antigenic subtypes, RSV A and RSV B, which is largely based on the variation in the G protein, while the fusion protein F is more conserved and a target for antibody-mediated neutralization. Here we evaluate the breadth of the protective immune responses across RSV A and RSV B subtypes, induced by vaccines based on the RSV A-based fusion protein, stabilized in the prefusion conformation (preF) in preclinical models. Immunization of naïve cotton rats with preF subunit or preF encoded by a replication incompetent Adenoviral 26, induced antibodies capable of neutralizing recent RSV A and RSV B clinical isolates, as well as protective efficacy against a challenge with RSV A and RSV B strains.

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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a major cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection and death in young infants and the elderly. With no effective prophylactic treatment available, current vaccine candidates aim to elicit neutralizing antibodies. However, binding and neutralization have poorly predicted protection in the past, and accumulating data across epidemiologic cohorts and animal models collectively point to a role for additional antibody Fc-effector functions.

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Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease in children and older adults, but has no approved vaccine. This study assessed the potential of Ad26.RSV.

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Background: Despite the high disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults, there is no approved vaccine. We evaluated the experimental RSV vaccine, Ad26.RSV.

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HIV-1 Env protein is essential for host cell entry, and targeting Env remains an important antiretroviral strategy. We previously found that a peptide triazole thiol KR13 and its gold nanoparticle conjugate AuNP-KR13 directly and irreversibly inactivate the virus by targeting the Env protein, leading to virus gp120 shedding, membrane disruption and p24 capsid protein release. Here, we examined the consequences of targeting cell-surface Env with the virus inactivators.

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Transmission of HIV across mucosal barriers accounts for the majority of HIV infections worldwide. Thus, efforts aimed at enhancing protective immunity at these sites are a top priority, including increasing virus-specific antibodies (Abs) and antiviral activity at mucosal sites. Mucin proteins, including the largest cell-associated mucin, mucin 16 (MUC16), help form mucus to provide a physical barrier to incoming pathogens.

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We investigated the mode of action underlying lytic inactivation of HIV-1 virions by peptide triazole thiol (PTT), in particular the relationship between gp120 disulfides and the C-terminal cysteine-SH required for virolysis. Obligate PTT dimer obtained by PTT SH cross-linking and PTTs with serially truncated linkers between pharmacophore isoleucine-ferrocenyltriazole-proline-tryptophan and cysteine-SH were synthesized. PTT variants showed loss of lytic activity but not binding and infection inhibition upon SH blockade.

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Entry of HIV-1 into host cells remains a compelling yet elusive target for developing agents to prevent infection. A peptide triazole (PT) class of entry inhibitor has previously been shown to bind to HIV-1 gp120, suppress interactions of the Env protein at host cell receptor binding sites, inhibit cell infection, and cause envelope spike protein breakdown, including gp120 shedding and, for some variants, virus membrane lysis. We found that gold nanoparticle-conjugated forms of peptide triazoles (AuNP-PT) exhibit substantially more potent antiviral effects against HIV-1 than corresponding peptide triazoles alone.

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The HIV-1 gp120 glycoprotein is the main viral surface protein responsible for initiation of the entry process and, as such, can be targeted for the development of entry inhibitors. We previously identified a class of broadly active peptide triazole (PT) dual antagonists that inhibit gp120 interactions at both its target receptor and coreceptor binding sites, induce shedding of gp120 from virus particles prior to host-cell encounter, and consequently can prevent viral entry and infection. However, our understanding of the conformational alterations in gp120 by which PT elicits its dual receptor antagonism and virus inactivation functions is limited.

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Article Synopsis
  • KR13 is a peptide triazole thiol that binds to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120, preventing the virus from infecting cells by disrupting receptor interactions.
  • In experiments, KR13 induced the release of viral proteins and altered the structure of the virus, specifically affecting the gp41 protein, which is crucial for virus entry into cells.
  • The findings indicate that KR13 has significant antiviral properties and may be useful in preventing HIV transmission, offering insights into the mechanisms of viral membrane fusion.
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