Publications by authors named "Erin Maule"

The continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants challenges the durability of existing spike (S)-based COVID-19 vaccines. We hypothesized that vaccines composed of both S and nucleocapsid (N) antigens would increase the durability of protection by strengthening and broadening cellular immunity compared with S-based vaccines. To test this, we examined the immunogenicity and efficacy of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 S- and N-based DNA vaccines administered individually or together to K18-hACE2 mice.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mouse models with humanized ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes were created to study how Th1 and Th2 immune responses affect SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Mice infected with the Delta variant required ACE2 for lung infection, while Omicron didn't, with Omicron causing more severe disease in specific mouse models.
  • The study suggests that the genetic background of the host influences the immune response and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, highlighting the need for more research on this variability.
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A mucosal route of vaccination could prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication at the site of infection and limit transmission. We compared protection against heterologous XBB.1.

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Article Synopsis
  • Some healthy individuals who haven’t been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 have T cells that react to it, likely due to previous infections with the common cold coronavirus OC43.
  • A study using genetically modified mice shows that infection with OC43 can produce T cells that also respond to SARS-CoV-2, helping to lessen severity of subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infections.
  • The role of CD4 T cells is significant; their depletion increases the viral load in the lungs after SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting their importance for cross-protection and informing future vaccine development against similar coronaviruses.
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Waning immunity and continued virus evolution have limited the durability of protection from symptomatic infection mediated by intramuscularly (IM)-delivered mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 although protection from severe disease remains high. Mucosal vaccination has been proposed as a strategy to increase protection at the site of SARS-CoV-2 infection by enhancing airway immunity, potentially reducing rates of infection and transmission. Here, we compared protection against XBB.

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Therapeutic antibodies are an important tool in the arsenal against coronavirus infection. However, most antibodies developed early in the pandemic have lost most or all efficacy against newly emergent strains of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), particularly those of the Omicron lineage. Here, we report the identification of a panel of vaccinee-derived antibodies that have broad-spectrum neutralization activity.

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Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) initially infects the respiratory tract, it also directly or indirectly affects other organs, including the brain. However, little is known about the relative neurotropism of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), including Omicron (B.1.

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Therapeutic strategies that provide effective and broad-spectrum neutralization against HIV-1 infection are highly desirable. Here, we investigate the potential of nanoengineered CD4 T cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (TNP) to neutralize a broad range of HIV-1 strains. TNP displayed outstanding neutralizing breadth and potency; they neutralized all 125 HIV-1-pseudotyped viruses tested, including global subtypes/recombinant forms, and transmitted/founder viruses, with a geometric mean 80% inhibitory concentration (IC) of 819μg ml (range, 72 to 8,570 μg ml).

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