Therapeutics and Prevention
Minireview | Therapeutics and PreventionLactobacillus Mucosal Vaccine Vectors: Immune Responses against Bacterial and Viral AntigensLactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been utilized since the 1990s for therapeutic heterologous gene expression. The ability of LAB to elicit an immune response against expressed foreign antigens has led to their exploration as potential mucosal vaccine candidates.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAntibodies to the Glycoprotein GP2 Subunit Cross-React between Old and New World ArenavirusesSeveral viruses in the Arenaviridae family infect humans and cause severe hemorrhagic fevers which lead to high case fatality rates. Due to their pathogenicity and geographic tropisms, these viruses remain very understudied. As a result, an effective vaccine or therapy is urgently needed. Here, we describe efforts to produce cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies that bind to both New and Old World arenaviruses. All of our MAbs...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionInterlaboratory Comparison of the Pneumococcal Multiplex Opsonophagocytic Assays and Their Level of Agreement for Determination of Antibody Function in Pediatric SeraWhen measuring a functional antibody response to pneumococcal immunization, it is imperative that a specific, reproducible, accurate, and standardized assay with acceptable inter- and intra-assay variation be advocated internationally to allow for meaningful comparison of results between laboratories. We report here the results of a collaboration between 3 international laboratories testing 30 pediatric samples against the 13 serotypes...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionThe Heteroaryldihydropyrimidine Bay 38-7690 Induces Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein Aggregates Associated with Promyelocytic Leukemia Nuclear Bodies in Infected CellsDespite the availability of effective vaccines and treatments, HBV remains a significant global health concern, with more than 240 million individuals chronically infected. Current treatments are highly effective at controlling viral replication and disease progression but rarely cure infections. Therefore, much emphasis is being placed on finding therapeutics with new drug targets, such as viral gene expression, covalently closed...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAssembly, Biochemical Characterization, Immunogenicity, Adjuvanticity, and Efficacy of Shigella Artificial InvaplexShigella species are bacteria that cause severe diarrheal disease worldwide primarily in young children. Treatment of shigellosis includes oral fluids and antibiotics, but the high burden of disease, increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, and long-term health consequences clearly warrant the development of an effective vaccine. One Shigella vaccine under development is termed the invasin complex or Invaplex...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNovel Antifungal Compounds Discovered in Medicines for Malaria Venture’s Malaria BoxMuch like the recent increase in drug-resistant bacteria, there is a rise in antifungal-resistant strains of pathogenic fungi. There is a need for novel and more potent antifungal therapeutics. Consequently, we investigated a mixed library of drug-like and probe-like compounds with activity in Plasmodium spp. for activity against two common fungal pathogens, ...
Editor's Pick Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionA Holistic Assessment of the Risks and Benefits of the Synthesis of Horsepox VirusThe re-creation of horsepox virus, an extinct orthopoxvirus with similarity to smallpox virus, has caused concerns in the biosecurity and biodefense communities that the technical capabilities achieved could advance the re-creation of smallpox virus by nefarious actors. The work is now published.
Editor's Pick Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionA Critical Analysis of the Scientific and Commercial Rationales for the De Novo Synthesis of Horsepox VirusThis article evaluates the scientific and commercial rationales for the synthesis of horsepox virus. I find that the claimed benefits of using horsepox virus as a smallpox vaccine rest on a weak scientific foundation and an even weaker business case that this project will lead to a licensed medical countermeasure.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionJjj1 Is a Negative Regulator of Pdr1-Mediated Fluconazole Resistance in Candida glabrataCandida glabrata is the second most common species of Candida recovered from patients with invasive candidiasis. The increasing number of infections due to C. glabrata, combined with its high rates of resistance to the commonly used, well-tolerated azole class of antifungal agents, has...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionTick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Vaccine-Induced Human Antibodies Mediate Negligible Enhancement of Zika Virus Infection In Vitro and in a Mouse ModelThe relationship between serial infections of two different serotypes of dengue virus and more severe disease courses is well-documented in the literature, driven by so-called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Recently, studies have shown the possibility of ADE in cells exposed to anti-DENV human plasma and then infected with ZIKV and also in mouse models of ZIKV pathogenesis after passive transfer of anti-DENV human plasma. In this...