rVSV-ΔG-SARS-CoV-2-S vaccine: repeated intramuscular (IM) toxicity, local tolerance, immunogenicity and biodistribution study in NZW rabbits.

BriLife, a vector-based vaccine that utilizes the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) platform to express and present the spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2, is undergoing testing in a phase 2 clinical trial in Israel. A nonclinical repeated-dose (GLP) toxicity study in New Zealand white rabbits was performed to evaluate the potential toxicity, local tolerance, immunogenicity and biodistribution of the vaccine. rVSV-ΔG-SARS-CoV-2-S (or vehicle) was administered intramuscularly to two groups of animals (10, 10 PFU/animal, n = 10/sex/group) on three occasions, at 2-week intervals, followed by a 3-week recovery period.

A Novel Quantitative Multi-Component Serological Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Evaluation.

A multi-component microarray, applying a novel analysis algorithm, was developed for quantitative evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines' immunogenicity. The array enables simultaneous quantitation of IgG, IgM, and IgA, specific to the SARS-CoV-2 spike, receptor binding domain, and nucleocapsid proteins. The developed methodology is based on calculating an apparent immunoglobulin signal from the linear range of the fluorescent read-outs generated by scanning the microarray slides at different exposure times.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Variants by rVSV-ΔG-Spike-Elicited Human Sera.

The emergence of rapidly spreading variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a major challenge to the ability of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies to provide immunity. These variants contain mutations of specific amino acids that might impede vaccine efficacy. BriLife (rVSV-ΔG-spike) is a newly developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate currently in phase II clinical trials.

A Serological Snapshot of COVID-19 Initial Stages in Israel by a 6-Plex Antigen Array.

The first case of SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in Israel in late February 2020. Three major outbreaks followed, resulting in over 800,000 cases and over 6,000 deaths by April 2021. Our aim was characterization of a serological snapshot of Israeli patients and healthy adults in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Epitope Binning of Novel Monoclonal Anti F1 and Anti LcrV Antibodies and Their Application in a Simple, Short, HTRF Test for Clinical Plague Detection.

Mouse monoclonal antibodies were raised against plague disease biomarkers: the bacterial capsular protein fraction 1 (F1) and the low-calcium response-LcrV virulence factor (Vag). A novel tandem assay, employing BioLayer Interferometry (BLI), enabled the isolation of antibodies against four different epitopes on Vag. The tandem assay was carried out with hybridoma supernatants, circumventing the need for antibody purification.

Improved production of monoclonal antibodies against the LcrV antigen of using FACS-aided hybridoma selection.

For about four decades, hybridoma technologies have been the "work horse" of monoclonal antibody production. These techniques proved to be robust and reliable, albeit laborious. Over the years, several major improvements have been introduced into the field, but yet, antibody production still requires many hours of labor and considerable resources.

Simultaneous Immunodetection of Anthrax, Plague, and Tularemia from Blood Cultures by Use of Multiplexed Suspension Arrays.

Multiplexed detection technologies are becoming increasingly important given the possibility of bioterrorism attacks, for which the range of suspected pathogens can vary considerably. In this work, we describe the use of Luminex MagPlex magnetic microspheres for the construction of two multiplexed diagnostic suspension arrays, enabling antibody-based detection of bacterial pathogens and their related disease biomarkers directly from blood cultures. The first 4-plex diagnostic array enabled the detection of both anthrax and plague infections using soluble disease biomarkers, including protective antigen (PA) and anthrax capsular antigen for anthrax detection and the capsular F1 and LcrV antigens for plague detection.

Highly Stable Lyophilized Homogeneous Bead-Based Immunoassays for On-Site Detection of Bio Warfare Agents from Complex Matrices.

This study shows the development of dry, highly stable immunoassays for the detection of bio warfare agents in complex matrices. Thermal stability was achieved by the lyophilization of the complete, homogeneous, bead-based immunoassay in a special stabilizing buffer, resulting in a ready-to-use, simple assay, which exhibited long shelf and high-temperature endurance (up to 1 week at 100 °C). The developed methodology was successfully implemented for the preservation of time-resolved fluorescence, Alexa-fluorophores, and horse radish peroxidase-based bead assays, enabling multiplexed detection.

An internal standard approach for homogeneous TR-FRET immunoassays facilitates the detection of bacteria, biomarkers, and toxins in complex matrices.

The recent development of a homogeneous time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) immunoassay enables one-step, rapid (minutes), and direct detection compared to the multistep, time-consuming (hours), heterogeneous ELISA-type immunoassays. The use of the time-resolved effect of a donor lanthanide complex with a delay time of microseconds and large Stokes shift enables the separation of positive signals from the background autofluorescence of the sample. However, this study shows that the sample matrices directly interfere with donor fluorescence and that interference cannot be eliminated by time-resolved settings alone.

Rapid homogenous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) immunoassay for anthrax detection.

Infection with Bacillus anthracsis spores induces an acute anthrax disease that can cause casualties and death in untreated cases. Thus rapid diagnosis of anthrax at early stage of the disease is essential to allow an effective treatment. Here we present the development of rapid and sensitive homogenous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) immunoassays based on the energy transfer process of europium cryptate (EuK) donor to AlexaFluor647 acceptor.

Defense from the Group A Streptococcus by active and passive vaccination with the streptococcal hemoprotein receptor.

Background: The worldwide burden of the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) primary infection and sequelae is considerable, although immunization programs with broad coverage of the hyper variable GAS are still missing. We evaluate the streptococcal hemoprotein receptor (Shr), a conserved streptococcal protein, as a vaccine candidate against GAS infection.

Methods: Mice were immunized intraperitoneally with purified Shr or intranasally with Shr-expressing Lactococcus lactis.

The search for early markers of plague: evidence for accumulation of soluble Yersinia pestis LcrV in bubonic and pneumonic mouse models of disease.

Markers of the early stages of plague, a rapidly progressing deadly disease, are crucial for enabling the onset of an effective treatment. Here, we show that V-antigen protein (LcrV) is accumulated in the serum of Yersinia pestis-infected mice before bacterial colonization of the spleen and dissemination to blood, in a model of bubonic plague. LcrV accumulation is detected earlier than that of F1 capsular antigen, an established marker of disease.

Involvement of TLR2 in innate response to Bacillus anthracis infection.

The involvement of TLR2 receptor in the innate response to infection with Bacillus anthracis was investigated. We studied the response to virulent or attenuated Vollum strains in either in vitro assays using macrophage cultures, or in an in vivo model comparing the sensitivity of Syrian hamster cells (expressing normal TLR2) to Chinese hamster cells (lacking functional TLR2) to infection by the various B. anthracis strains.

Shr is a broad-spectrum surface receptor that contributes to adherence and virulence in group A streptococcus.

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common hemolytic pathogen that produces a range of suppurative infections and autoimmune sequelae in humans. Shr is an exported protein in GAS, which binds in vitro to hemoglobin, myoglobin, and the hemoglobin-haptoglobin complex. We previously reported that Shr is found in association with whole GAS cells and in culture supernatant.

Protective antigen as a correlative marker for anthrax in animal models.

The most aggressive form of anthrax results from inhalation of airborne spores of Bacillus anthracis and usually progresses unnoticed in the early stages because of unspecific symptoms. The only reliable marker of anthrax is development of bacteremia, which increases with disease progress. Rapid diagnosis of anthrax is imperative for efficient treatment and cure.

Concentration of Bacillus spores by using silica magnetic particles.

Silica particles are mainly used for the concentration of nucleic acid for diagnostic purposes. This is usually done under acidic or chaotropic conditions that will demolish most of the living organisms and prevent the application of other diagnostic tests. Here we describe the development of a method for the capturing and concentration of Bacillus spores using silica magnetic particles to enable fast and sensitive detection.

Identification of strain specific markers in Bacillus anthracis by random amplification of polymorphic DNA.

Classification and differentiation of Bacillus anthracis isolates by genetic markers play an important role in anthrax research. We used a PCR based method--Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)--to identify genetic markers in B. anthracis strains.

Salt induction of fatty acid elongase and membrane lipid modifications in the extreme halotolerant alga Dunaliella salina.

In studies of the outstanding salt tolerance of the unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina, we isolated a cDNA for a salt-inducible mRNA encoding a protein homologous to plant beta-ketoacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthases (Kcs). These microsomal enzymes catalyze the condensation of malonyl-CoA with acyl-CoA, the first and rate-limiting step in fatty acid elongation. Kcs activity, localized to a D.