Topical CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide Adjuvant Enhances the Adaptive Immune Response against Influenza A Infections.

Current influenza vaccines generate humoral immunity, targeting highly variable epitopes and thus fail to achieve long-term protection. T cells recognize and respond to several highly conserved epitopes across influenza serotypes. A strategy of raising strong cytotoxic T cell memory responses to epitopes conserved across serotypes would provide cross serotype protection, eliminating the need for annual vaccination.

A deficiency in the in vivo clearance of apoptotic cells is a feature of the NOD mouse.

Deficiencies in apoptotic cell clearance have been linked to autoimmunity. Here we examined the time-course of peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis of dying cells following the direct injection of apoptotic thymocytes into the peritoneum of NOD mice and BALB/c controls. Macrophages from NOD mice demonstrated a profound defect in the phagocytosis of apoptotic thymocytes as compared to control macrophages.