Dr. T

The multitude of effective vaccines available to us is a testament to scientific progress and should not be taken for granted. We truly live in remarkable times, where each day brings the prospect of new discoveries, improved treatments, and better disease prevention. (end)

Although the vaccines listed in this post and the previous one are representative, they do not encompass the entirety of current vaccine technology. Advances in research have yielded numerous novel ideas and platforms, many of which remain experimental. 28/29

...vaccine used for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. However, several other dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapies are in various stages of development for treatment of other cancers like melanoma and glioblastoma. 27/

...and the cells would be injected back into the patient, where they would induce T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells displaying the antigens on the dendritic cell vaccine. The only dendritic cell vaccine licensed for use in humans is Sipuleucel-T, a therapeutic... 26/

...to initiate an adaptive immune response. To make a dendritic cell vaccine against cancer, one would isolate dendritic cells from the blood sample of a cancer patient. The surfaces of the dendritic cells would then be artificially coated with tumor-associated antigens... 25/

Dendritic cells are found in tissues that are exposed to the external environment, like the skin and inner lining of the nose, lungs, stomach, and intestines. Once they detect an invading pathogen, dendritic cells process its antigenic material and present it to T cells... 24/

Protein vaccine candidates for various cancers, including melanoma, lymphoma, and gynecologic cancers, are currently being tested in clinical trials.

Dendritic cell vaccines use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. 23/

Protein vaccines can also serve as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment, using peptides from tumor-associated antigens to induce anti-tumor T-cell responses. 22/

A Vaccine Against Dementia | Virology Blog by Gertrud U. Rey The shingles vaccine is highly effective at preventing shingles, a painful rash caused by reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) – t ...

Shingrix® is not only highly effective at preventing shingles, but it may also prevent dementia, as discussed in a previous post. 21/

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Although initial infection with varicella-zoster virus causes chickenpox, the virus becomes dormant in nerve cells, where it can potentially reactivate later in life as a painful shingles rash. 20/

The shingles vaccine used in the USA and sold under the name Shingrix® is an example of a protein vaccine because it consists of a recombinant form of the varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E antigen. 19/

Vaccine Modalities - Part 1 | Virology Blog by Gertrud U. Rey During the last 50 years, vaccination efforts have prevented about 154 million deaths worldwide, with the measles vaccine alone responsibl ...

Protein vaccines are essentially subunit vaccines (discussed in last month’s post) that are made from peptides – short antigenic pieces of protein that can trigger immune responses. 18/

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Nevertheless, this approach offers a number of potential advantages over traditional methods, such as improved vaccine stability, the activation of both B- and T-cell responses, the lack of an infectious agent, and the relative ease of large-scale manufacture. 17/

The RNA is then translated into the antigen protein, which stimulates the immune system to make protective antibodies. Although several DNA vaccines have been tested for veterinary use, there are currently no FDA-approved DNA vaccines available for use in humans. 16/

DNA vaccines consist of a genetically engineered circular DNA molecule containing a gene that encodes a pathogen-derived antigen. Once injected into a recipient, the molecule enters cells and the DNA is transcribed into RNA. 15/

...repeat boosters. The mRNA vaccine platform is also being researched for the development of cancer vaccines, which encode tumor-specific antigens that can train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. 14/

...immune response. Although the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 (in contrast to non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines), their effect does not appear to be very durable, thus driving the need for... 13/

The mRNA encodes an antigen, which in the case of the COVID-19 vaccines is the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. After the vaccine is injected into a recipient, the mRNA enters cells, where host proteins translate it into the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which then promotes an... 12/

mRNA vaccines gained a lot of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their history is long and complex. These vaccines consist of an mRNA that is encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle, which protects the mRNA from degradation and ensures proper delivery into cells. 11/

Nevertheless, two licensed Ebola virus vaccines consisting of viral vectors and encoding the Ebola virus (previously known as “Zaire ebolavirus”) glycoprotein are currently in use, and they are more than 97% effective at preventing Ebola disease. 10/

In this case, the antibodies to the vector itself neutralize it before it can deliver its genetic payload, thus reducing vaccine efficacy. 9/

*During the pandemic I discussed at least two COVID-19 viral vector vaccines developed separately by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

A drawback of viral vector vaccines is that unfortunately many people have pre-existing immunity to the vector viruses. 8/

Several COVID-19 viral vector vaccines encoding the antigenic SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were developed during the pandemic; however, their use in the USA was discontinued because they are less effective than mRNA vaccines.* 7/

...protein will be produced. The antigen will then prime the immune system to recognize the pathogen from which the antigen originated. When the individual is infected with the pathogen later, it will be recognized by the immune response. 6/

Several genes native to the vector virus are usually deleted to render it non-infectious and to make space for the inserted antigen gene. Once injected into a person, the vaccine vector should enter cells, and its nucleic acid will serve as a template from which the antigen... 5/

Viruses enter cells by attaching to host cell receptors and releasing their genome into the cell. Viral vector vaccines are based on this principle and consist of a virus – typically an adenovirus – with an inserted gene that encodes an antigen of choice. 4/

The protein is usually an immunodominant “antigen” derived from a pathogen, which triggers an immune response specifically targeted at that pathogen. Genetic vaccines include viral vector vaccines, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, and DNA vaccines, all of which are discussed in more detail below. 3/

Genetic vaccines introduce nucleic acids (DNA and/or RNA) into a recipient’s cells. Once inside the cells, these genetic instructions are used by the cell’s machinery to produce a specific protein. 2/

Vaccine Modalities - Part 2 | Virology Blog by Gertrud U. Rey Last month’s post provided an overview of various traditional vaccine technologies. The current post highlights more recent advances in th ...

Last month’s 🧵 provided an overview of various traditional vaccine technologies. The current 🧵highlights more recent advances in the field.

Also at virology blog. 1/

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YouTube video by Trudy Rey, PhD Catch This Episode 72 - The Deadliest Virus

Catch This Episode 72 is about the deadliest virus! Rabies virus is 100% fatal, but you can prevent death by acting swiftly after exposure to an infected animal.

Watch to the end for a special cameo appearance! 😺

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E6U...