Publications by authors named "D Hermsen"
Background And Objectives: Initial therapeutic efforts to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) included the use of plasma from convalescent donors containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. High-neutralizing antibody titres are required for therapeutic efficacy. This study aims to show that immunoadsorption followed by tangential flow filtration can be used to obtain antibody concentrates with high-neutralizing capacities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The presentation of peptides and the subsequent immune response depend on the MHC characteristics and influence the specificity of the immune response. Several studies have found an association between HLA variants and differential COVID-19 outcomes and have shown that HLA genotypes are associated with differential immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, particularly in severely ill patients. Information, whether HLA haplotypes are associated with the severity or length of the disease in moderately diseased individuals is absent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We describe a diagnostic procedure suitable for scheduling (re-)vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) according to individual state of humoral immunization. Methods: To clarify the relation between quantitative antibody measurements and humoral ex vivo immune responsiveness, we monitored 124 individuals before, during and six months after vaccination with Spikevax (Moderna, Cambridge, MA, USA). Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1) protein receptor-binding domain (S1-AB) and against nucleocapsid antigens were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay (Roche).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Determining neutralizing antibody titers is essential for assessing infection protection, with full virus neutralization tests (VNTs) being the gold standard, albeit complex and requiring specialized labs.
- To simplify this, several surrogate virus neutralization tests (sVNTs) have been developed, which assess antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.
- However, findings indicate that sVNTs produce varying results compared to VNTs and between different groups (convalescent vs vaccinated), suggesting that their cutoff levels may need to be re-evaluated for accurate measurement of neutralizing antibodies.
Objectives: Most SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies have focussed on adults and high-risk populations, and little is known about young adults. The objective of the present study was to provide evidence on the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among young adults in Germany and to explore determinants associated with seropositivity in general and, specifically, with previously undetected infections.
Study Design: This was a population-based SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study.