In vivo processing of CXCL12α/SDF-1α after intravenous and subcutaneous administration to mice.

CXCL12α has been shown to be selectively processed at the N- and C-termini in blood and plasma in vitro. In order to study the processing in vivo, several versions of CXCL12α were expressed and purified. The protein was administered either iv or sc to mice, and at different time points postadministration plasma was collected and analyzed.

Differential effects of chemokines on oligodendrocyte precursor proliferation and myelin formation in vitro.

Chemokines have recently been postulated to have important functions in the central nervous system (CNS) in addition to their principal role of directional migration of leukocytes. In particular, it has been shown that chemokines may play a role in the regulation of oligodendrocyte biology. Here, we have chosen to study the role of certain chemokines in regulating myelination.

Lipophilic quaternary ammonium salt acts as a mucosal adjuvant when co-administered by the nasal route with vaccine antigens.

Nasal administration of vaccines is an attractive approach which offers several significant advantages over traditional intramuscular vaccine delivery. These advantages include easier administration and induction of immune responses in the mucosal secretions of the body. In this study we describe a new potent nasal adjuvant, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA), that induces both mucosal and systemic immune responses when co-administered with diphtheria toxoid (DT), tetanus toxoid (TT) and BBG2Na antigens.

BBG2Na an RSV subunit vaccine candidate intramuscularly injected to human confers protection against viral challenge after nasal immunization in mice.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory pathogen responsible for severe pulmonary disease. We have developed a parenterally administered vaccine, BBG2Na, which is currently in a phase III clinical trial. BBG2Na comprises residues 130--230 of RSV-A G protein (G2Na) fused to the BB carrier protein.