Publications by authors named "Xiang-peng Kong"

Systemic vaccination of macaques with V1-deleted (ΔV1) envelope immunogens reduce the risk of SIV acquisition by approximately 60%, with protective roles played by V2-specific ADCC and envelope-specific mucosal IL-17NKp44 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). We investigated whether increased mucosal responses to V2 benefit vaccine efficacy by delivering oral nanoparticles (NPs) that release V2-scaffolded on Typhoid Toxin B (TTB) to the large intestine. Strikingly, mucosal immunization of male macaques abrogated vaccine efficacy with control TTB or empty NPs, but vaccine efficacy of up to 47.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the HIV-1 envelope (Env) protein, crucial for developing effective vaccines, and explores how the signal peptide (SP) affects its antigenicity (ability to trigger immune response) and immunogenicity (ability to induce an immune response).
  • Researchers compared the Env proteins from two different HIV-1 isolates, assessing their natural forms and chimeras with swapped SPs, using various methods to evaluate their antigenicity and responses in mice.
  • Results showed that swapping SPs influenced the antibodies' binding, with some chimeras showing improved immunogenicity, while the inclusion of DNA vaccines reduced the effectiveness of the wild-type proteins in generating a strong immune response.
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Bacteria dysbiosis and its accompanying inflammation or compromised mucosal integrity is associated with an increased risk of HIV-1 transmission. However, HIV-1 may also bind bacteria or bacterial products to impact infectivity and transmissibility. This study evaluated HIV-1 interactions with bacteria through glycan-binding lectins.

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Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the presence of tau inclusions. We have developed over fifty anti-tau single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) derived from phage display libraries of a llama immunized with recombinant and pathological tau immunogens. We examined the therapeutic potential of four of these sdAbs in a Drosophila tauopathy model following their transgenic expression either in all neurons or neuronal subtypes.

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Purpose: Robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (RA-THA) helps with precise orientation of the prosthesis, but some RA-THA procedures are aborted intraoperatively and are converted to manual total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aimed to analyse why RA-THA is sometimes aborted intraoperatively and to make recommendations accordingly.

Methods: A total of 429 consecutive Mako THA cases in our prospective database from August 2018 to June 2021 were included in our study.

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  • Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative diseases marked by the buildup of α-synuclein in the brain, causing various motor and psychological symptoms, with no current cures available.
  • A new approach using a single-domain antibody (sdAb)-based protein degrader has been developed to promote the breakdown of α-synuclein by targeting both α-syn and a receptor that aids in its degradation.
  • This study shows that the sdAb effectively enhances the removal of α-synuclein in laboratory and mouse models, suggesting it could be a promising therapy for synucleinopathies and could lead to improved brain access compared to traditional antibodies.
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  • The study focuses on the challenge of generating tier-2-neutralizing antibodies for HIV vaccines, highlighting the isolation of a specific antibody, HmAb64, from an immunized individual.
  • HmAb64 is characterized by its unique genetic structure, derived from germline genes, and was shown to neutralize 10% of the tested HIV-1 pseudo-virus strains.
  • The research also reveals the structural details of how HmAb64 binds to the CD4-binding site, proving that a gp120-based vaccine can effectively stimulate the production of antibodies capable of neutralizing tier-2 HIV strains.
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A new glycoside () along with six known analogues () were isolated from collected at Shanxi in China. The structure of was established based on comprehensive spectroscopic data and literature comparison. The anti-inflammatory effects of isolated compounds were further investigated in LPS-induced RAW264.

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Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain, leading to motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Currently, there are no known cures for synucleinopathies, and treatments mainly focus on symptom management. In this study, we developed a single-domain antibody (sdAb)-based protein degrader with features designed to enhance proteasomal degradation of α-syn.

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Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) is an inhibitory receptor expressed on activated T cells and an emerging immunotherapy target. Domain 1 (D1) of LAG-3, which has been purported to directly interact with major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) and fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1), has been the major focus for the development of therapeutic antibodies that inhibit LAG-3 receptor-ligand interactions and restore T cell function. Here, we present a high-resolution structure of glycosylated mouse LAG-3 ectodomain, identifying that cis-homodimerization, mediated through a network of hydrophobic residues within domain 2 (D2), is critically required for LAG-3 function.

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Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a potent immune checkpoint receptor on T lymphocytes. Upon engagement by its ligands, PD-L1 or PD-L2, PD-1 inhibits T cell activation and can promote immune tolerance. Antagonism of PD-1 signaling has proven effective in cancer immunotherapy, and conversely, agonists of the receptor may have a role in treating autoimmune disease.

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The vaccine elicitation of HIV-neutralizing antibodies with tier-2-neutralization breadth has been a challenge. Here, we report the isolation and characteristics of a CD4-binding site specific monoclonal antibody, HmAb64, from a human volunteer immunized with a polyvalent gp120 DNA prime-protein boost vaccine. HmAb64 derived from heavy chain variable germline gene IGHV1-18, light chain germline gene IGKV1-39, and had a 3 heavy chain complementarity determining region (CDR H3) of 15 amino acids.

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Introduction: Neutralizing antibodies (Abs) are one of the immune components required to protect against viral infections. However, developing vaccines capable of eliciting neutralizing Abs effective against a broad array of HIV-1 isolates has been an arduous challenge.

Objective: This study sought to test vaccines aimed to induce Abs against neutralizing epitopes at the V1V2 apex of HIV-1 envelope (Env).

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Developing a safe and effective preventive for HIV-1 remains the hope for controlling the global AIDS epidemic. Recently, mRNA vaccines have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches, primarily due to their rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture. Despite the advantages of mRNA vaccines, challenges remain, especially due to the adverse effects of the delivery vehicle and low delivery efficiency.

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Intracellular deposition of α-synuclein and tau are hallmarks of synucleinopathies and tauopathies, respectively. Recently, several dye-based imaging probes with selectivity for tau aggregates have been developed, but suitable imaging biomarkers for synucleinopathies are still unavailable. Detection of both of these aggregates early in the disease process may allow for prophylactic therapies before functional impairments have manifested, highlighting the importance of developing specific imaging probes for these lesions.

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Bacteria dysbiosis has been associated with an increased risk of HIV-1 transmission and acquisition. The prevalent idea is that bacteria dysbiosis compromises mucosal integrity and promotes inflammatory conditions to cause recruitment and activation of immune cells that harbor or are targeted by HIV-1. However, it is also possible that HIV-1 directly binds bacteria or bacterial products to impact virus infectivity and transmissibility.

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The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein spike is the target of antibodies, and therefore represents the main viral antigen for antibody-based vaccine design. One of the challenges in HIV-1 vaccine development is finding efficient ways for the immune system to recognize and respond to HIV-1 without establishing an infection. Since HIV-1 enters the body at mucosal surfaces, induction of immune response at these sites is a preferred preventive approach.

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Background: Eleven tau immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies have entered clinical trials to treat tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, but it is unclear which IgG subclass/subtype has the ideal efficacy and safety profile. Only two subtypes, with or without effector function, have been examined in the clinic and not for the same tau antibody. The few preclinical studies on this topic have only compared two subtypes of one antibody each and have yielded conflicting results.

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Article Synopsis
  • Developing a malaria vaccine is crucial to combat disease spread, especially among children, with recent advances focusing on safer, more adaptable subunit protein, peptide, and nucleic acid vaccines.* -
  • These new vaccine types, while easier and cheaper to produce, often have low effectiveness, prompting the need for enhanced delivery systems and adjuvants to boost immune responses.* -
  • A new layer-by-layer (LbL) nanoparticle platform was created to effectively deliver multiple malaria antigens, showing promising results in mouse studies by increasing specific T-cell responses with an optimized dosing schedule.*
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  • This clinical research evaluates the safety and effectiveness of a surgical technique combining fusiform capsulectomy and tendon release for knee arthroplasty in patients with severe flexion contracture.
  • A retrospective analysis of three patients with significant knee issues showed improvements in range of motion and knee function scores post-surgery, with no major complications reported.
  • The study concludes that this combined surgical approach is a safe and effective solution for treating fused knees with severe flexion contracture during total knee arthroplasty.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic since December 2019, and with it, a push for innovations in rapid testing and neutralizing antibody treatments in an effort to solve the spread and fatality of the disease. One such solution to both of these prevailing issues is targeting the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain (RBD) with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor protein. Structural studies have shown that the N-terminal alpha-helix comprised of the first 23 residues of ACE2 plays an important role in this interaction.

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Background: Robotic-assisted technology may be useful in hip revision cases with acetabular defects. However, data on the use of robotic-assisted technology for such complex diseases is lacking.

Case Presentation: This case study described the adoption of MAKO robotic-assisted treatment of revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) combined with severe acetabular defect (Paprosky type IIIB).

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Solar-driven conversion of CO is considered an efficient way to tackle the energy and environmental crisis. However, the photocatalytic performance is severely restricted due to the insufficient accessible active sites and inhibited electron transfer efficiency. This work demonstrates a general topological transformation strategy for the integration of uniform Co-based species to fabricate a series of multishelled superstructures (MSSs) for CO photocatalytic conversion.

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Combinational antiretroviral therapy (cART) is the most effective tool to prevent and control HIV-1 infection without an effective vaccine. However, HIV-1 drug resistance mutations (DRMs) and naturally occurring polymorphisms (NOPs) can abrogate cART efficacy. Here, we aimed to characterize the HIV-1 mutation landscape in Cameroon, where highly diverse HIV clades circulate, and identify novel treatment-associated mutations that can potentially affect cART efficacy.

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