Publications by authors named "Olivia V Bracken"
Article Synopsis
- Recent research indicates that resolving inflammation is more complex than previously thought, involving a prolonged phase of immune activity rather than a simple return to balance.
- Following initial lung inflammation caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, specific immune cells like memory T cells and various macrophages re-enter the tissue, showing changes in their genetic activity that facilitate further immune responses.
- Blocking prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) signaling, particularly through the EP4 receptor, leads to reduced T cell populations and increased tissue damage, highlighting the importance of PGE2 in nurturing T cell development and preventing injury during the immune response recovery phase.
Article Synopsis
- The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2 has many mutations that make it highly transmissible and partially able to evade neutralizing antibodies, but vaccinated individuals still have some protection against severe disease due to strong cellular immunity.
- In a study involving healthcare workers who received three doses of the BioNTech mRNA vaccine, it was found that their B and T cell responses were enhanced against older variants but less effective against the Omicron spike protein.
- Those previously infected with earlier variants (like Alpha) had reduced antibody responses against Omicron, while uninfected individuals who got infected with Omicron showed improved immunity to earlier variants but weaker responses against Omicron itself.
: Most biomedical research has focused on sampling COVID-19 patients presenting to hospital with advanced disease, with less focus on the asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic. We established a bioresource with serial sampling of health care workers (HCWs) designed to obtain samples before and during mainly mild disease, with follow-up sampling to evaluate the quality and duration of immune memory. : We conducted a prospective study on HCWs from three hospital sites in London, initially at a single centre (recruited just prior to first peak community transmission in London), but then extended to multiple sites 3 weeks later (recruitment still ongoing, target n=1,000).
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing age alters innate immune-mediated responses; however, the mechanisms underpinning these changes in humans are not fully understood. Using a human dermal model of acute inflammation, we found that, although inflammatory onset is similar between young and elderly individuals, the resolution phase was substantially impaired in elderly individuals. This arose from a reduction in T cell immunoglobulin mucin receptor-4 (TIM-4), a phosphatidylserine receptor expressed on macrophages that enables the engulfment of apoptotic bodies, so-called efferocytosis.
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