Publications by authors named "G J Bjornson"
Despite significant progress in reaching some milestones of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, neonatal and early infant morbidity and mortality remain high, and maternal health remains suboptimal in many countries. Novel and improved preventative strategies with the potential to benefit pregnant women and their infants are needed, with maternal and neonatal immunization representing effective approaches. Experts from immunology, vaccinology, infectious diseases, clinicians, industry, public health, and vaccine-related social sciences convened at the 5th International Neonatal and Maternal Immunization Symposium (INMIS) in Vancouver, Canada, from 15 to 17 September 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Conventional vaccine design has traditionally relied on trial and error, but major diseases like tuberculosis and HIV still lack effective vaccines due to gaps in our understanding of immune responses at the molecular level.
- Recent advancements in systems biology provide tools for in-depth analysis, but effective studies require intensive blood and tissue sampling from humans, which have yet to be fully developed and validated.
- In a study of 15 healthy adults immunized with the hepatitis B vaccine, extensive sampling allowed for comprehensive immune response analysis, demonstrating the feasibility of such studies and the potential for improved vaccine design through data integration.
Maternal immunisation has the potential to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases after birth. The success of tetanus, influenza, and pertussis immunisation during pregnancy has led to consideration of additional maternal immunisation strategies to prevent group B streptococcus and respiratory syncytial virus infections, among others. However, many gaps in knowledge regarding the immunobiology of maternal immunisation prevent the optimal design and application of this successful public health intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFunded immunization programs are best able to achieve high participation rates, optimal protection of the target population, and indirect protection of others. However, in many countries public funding of approved vaccines can be substantially delayed, limited to a portion of the at-risk population or denied altogether. In these situations, unfunded vaccines are often inaccessible to individuals at risk, allowing potentially avoidable morbidity and mortality to continue to occur.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In contrast to the gradual pace of conventional vaccine trials, evaluation of influenza vaccines often must be accelerated for use in a pandemic or for annual re-licensure. Descriptions of how best to design studies for rapid completion are few.
Purpose: In August, 2010, we conducted a rapid trial with a seasonal influenza vaccine for 2010-2011 given to persons vaccinated with an adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine in 2009, to determine whether re-exposure to the H1N1(2009) component of the seasonal vaccine would cause increased reactions.