T helper cells, particularly T follicular helper (T) cells, are essential for the neutralizing antibody production elicited by pathogens or vaccines. However, in immunocompromised individuals, the inefficient support from T cells could lead to limited protection after vaccine inoculation. Here we showed that the conjugation of inducible T cell costimulatory (ICOS) onto the nanoparticle, together with immunogen, significantly enhanced the immune response of the vaccines specific for SARS-CoV-2 or human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) in T-deficient mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reservoir consists of latently infected cells which present a major obstacle to achieving a functional cure for HIV-1. The formation and maintenance of HIV-1 latency have been extensively studied, and latency-reversing agents (LRAs) that can reactivate latent HIV-1 by targeting the involved host factors are developed; however, their clinical efficacies remain unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is imperative to identify novel targets for more potential candidates or better combinations for LRAs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of a vaccine specific to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron has been hampered due to its low immunogenicity. Here, using reverse mutagenesis, we found that a phenylalanine-to-serine mutation at position 375 (F375S) in the spike protein of Omicron to revert it to the sequence found in Delta and other ancestral strains significantly enhanced the immunogenicity of Omicron vaccines. Sequence FAPFFAF at position 371-377 in Omicron spike had a potent inhibitory effect on macrophage uptake of receptor-binding domain (RBD) nanoparticles or spike-pseudovirus particles containing this sequence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the global COVID-19 pandemic continues and new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern emerge, vaccines remain an important tool for preventing the pandemic. The inactivated or subunit vaccines themselves generally exhibit low immunogenicity, which needs adjuvants to improve the immune response. We previously developed a receptor binding domain (RBD)-targeted and self-assembled nanoparticle to elicit a potent immune response in both mice and rhesus macaques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInoculation against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is ongoing worldwide. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants could cause immune evasion. We developed a bivalent nanoparticle vaccine that displays the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of the D614G and B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVarious vaccine strategies have been proposed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, each with unique strategies for eliciting immune responses. Here, we developed nanoparticle vaccines by covalently conjugating the self-assembled 24-mer ferritin to the receptor binding domain (RBD) and/or heptad repeat (HR) subunits of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein. Compared to monomer vaccines, nanoparticle vaccines elicited more robust neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
March 2020
Backgrounds: Femoral head necrosis is one of the most common orthopedic diseases which can be diagnosed in all ages with different reasons. Taohong Siwu decoction (TSD) has been widely used in the treatment of femoral head necrosis. However, as far as we know, there is still a lack of supporting evidence regarding the efficacy of TSD for femoral head necrosis.
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