Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

The Effect Of Staphylococcus Aureus On Stiffness Of Cortical Bone, Ariel N. Kunde

Graduate Theses

Osteomyelitis, a term for bone infection, is a common cause of hospitalization in the United States. Infection leading to osteomyelitis is almost always a product of bacterial origin. Although polymicrobial presence is seen at infection sites of osteomyelitis, Staphylococcus aureus is most commonly isolated and found to be the cause of more than 95% of bone infection in adults. This organism is a common commensal of humans that is carried by an estimated 60% of the US population. S. aureus is transferred by infected asymptomatic individuals, and its ability to proliferate under a variety of environmental conditions contributes to the …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of The Na-Gst-1 Hookworm Vaccine In Brazilian And American Adults., David J Diemert, Janaína Freire, Vanderson Valente, Carlos Geraldo Fraga, Frederico Talles, Shannon Grahek, Doreen Campbell, Amar Jariwala, Maria Victoria Periago, Martin Enk, Maria Flávia Gazzinelli, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Robert Hamilton, Jill Brelsford, Anna Yakovleva, Guangzhao Li, Jin Peng, Rodrigo Correa-Oliveira, Peter Hotez, Jeffrey Bethony

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Necator americanus Glutathione-S-Transferase-1 (Na-GST-1) plays a role in the digestion of host hemoglobin by adult N. americanus hookworms. Vaccination of laboratory animals with recombinant Na-GST-1 is associated with significant protection from challenge infection. Recombinant Na-GST-1 was expressed in Pichia pastoris and adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide adjuvant (Alhydrogel) according to current Good Manufacturing Practice. Two Phase 1 trials were conducted in 142 healthy adult volunteers in the United States and Brazil, first in hookworm-naïve individuals and then in residents of a N. americanus endemic area in Brazil. Volunteers received one of three doses of recombinant …

Lymphoid Hematopoiesis And The Role Of B-Cells In Transgenic Mouse Model Of Sickle Cell Disease, Christina Cotte

University Scholar Projects

Sickle cell disease (SCD) has been shown to be associated with decreased baseline immunity and thus increased susceptibility to infection. I sought to discern possible causes of this by looking into the correlations between SCD and hematopoiesis, the immune system and the neuroendocrine system, and ultimately by conducting experiments surrounding the impaired immune system of SCD. These experiments focused on the potential causes and effects of the diminution of B-1a cells in the SCD spleen. Adoptive transfers, infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae, and histologic imaging were conducted to establish if the diminution of the B-1a cells in the SCD spleen …

Exploring A Novel Nf-ĸb- Inhibiting Nanoparticle For Periodontitis Therapy., Kameswara Satya Srikanth Upadhyayula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is an infection-driven inflammatory disease characterized by gingival inflammation and bone loss. The NF-ĸB signaling pathway is pivotal in osteoclastogenesis and infection-induced pro-inflammatory responses. The use of nanoparticles as a vehicle to deliver drug increases stability, loading capacity, and facilitates transmembrane transportation. The hypothesis was that a novel nanoparticle carrying therapeutic NBD inhibitory peptides (NBD-nanoparticles) will inhibit measures of periodontal disease. In this project, we tested the nanoparticles for their ability to directly inhibit osteoclastogenesis and inflammation as an original strategy for periodontitis therapy. We also tested the capability of the nanoparticles to inhibit gingival inflammation and alveolar bone …

Range-Wide Prevalence And Impacts Of Pseudocercosporella Inconspicua On Lilium Grayi And An Assessment Of L. Superbum And L. Michauxii As Reservoirs, Cindy L. Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lilium grayi (Gray’s Lily), a southern Appalachian endemic species, is threatened by a Lilium-specific fungal pathogen, Pseudocercosporella inconspicua. The disease is characterized by tan lesions that can cause early senescence, while also lowering seed production and viability. This project tested for P. inconspicua conidia and accessed health at nine locations. The disease was present and ubiquitous across the range of L. grayi. Through identification of P. inconspicua conidia in the field, L. superbum (Turk’s Cap Lily) was identified as an additional host, while L. michauxii (Michaux’s Lily) was disease-free. However, infection was inducible in both species. With …

A Novel Role For Osteopontin In Facilitating West Nile Virus Neuroinvasion, Amber M. Paul

Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV) is a positive-sensed, single-stranded RNA flavivirus that can cause human neuroinvasive diseases, including encephalitis, meningitis, and flaccid paralysis. The mechanisms by which WNV enters the central nervous system and the host-factors that are involved in WNV-neuroinvasiveness are not completely understood. Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional glycoprotein, has been implicated as a bio-marker for a number of neuroinflammatory diseases. In particular, secreted (s)OPN has been implicated to participate in recruitment of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to sites of its expression, while PMNs have been suggested to act as WNV reservoirs. Therefore, sOPN recruitment of PMNs may contribute to neuroinvasive …

Study Of Rickettsia Parkeri Colonization And Proliferation In The Tick Host Amblyomma Maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae), Khemraj Budachetri

Dissertations

Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf coast tick) ticks are prevalent across the Atlantic to Gulf Coast region of United States. These ticks are recognized vectors of Rickettsia parkeri, a spotted fever group of Rickettsia (SFGR) known to cause American boutonneuse fever associated with fever and eschar rashes localized to the site of bites. We hypothesized that Rickettsia parkeri colonization and proliferation in the tick vector involve pathogen-symbiont dynamics and tick-pathogen interactions, which influence rickettsial transmission to the victims after tick bites. The rickettsial infection is maintained across the tick life cycle for many generations due to transovarial and transstadial transmission of …

Characterization Of Murine Breast Cancer Cell Lines For Anti-Cancer Vaccine, Haven N. Frazier

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States (1). While treatments involving radiation and chemotherapy currently exist, disease must be detected early in order for the treatments to be somewhat effective, and there is no effective treatment after metastasis occurs (2). Additionally, current therapies do not mitigate tumor immunosuppression. Decreasing the tumor-associated immunosuppressive conditions while activating antitumor immunity could prevent recurrence and metastasis, possibly leading to an effective treatment for cancer (3). Tumor cell vaccines could possibly address this issue and have become a …

Developing Novel Approaches To Improve Response To T Cell Based Cancer Immunotherapy, Rina M. Mbofung

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Recently, T cell based immunotherapies have moved to the forefront of cancer immunotherapy with the success of Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) and Immune checkpoint blockade.ACT, where patients are treated with tumour infiltrating T cells (TILs), conferred a clinical response rate of ~50%. Treatment with anti-CTLA4 and anti –PD1 therapy, conferred response rates of up to 50%, greatly improving the overall survival of patients with advanced melanoma amongst other cancer types. Despite the encouraging outcomes, there are relatively low response rates coupled with the delay of weeks to months before tumour shrinkage can be appreciated. Thus, understanding what tumour intrinsic …

Peptide Vaccine Formulation Controls The Duration Of Antigen Presentation And Magnitude Of Tumor‐Specific Cd8+ T Cell Response, Hiep Khong

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Despite remarkable progresses in vaccinology, therapeutic cancer vaccines have not achieved their full potential. We previously showed that the duration of antigen presentation critically affected the quantity and quality of T cell response and subsequent anti‐tumor efficacy. Here we describe L‐tyrosine amino acid‐based microparticles as a novel peptide vaccine adjuvant for the induction of tumor‐specific T cells. L‐tyrosine microparticles did not induce inflammasome activation, but instead extended antigen presentation time. The consequent prolongation in antigen presentation translated into prolonged T cell proliferation and superior numbers and anti‐tumor function of vaccination‐induced CD8+ T cells. Indeed, prolonging antigen presentation by repeated injection …

Toll Like Receptor 4 Stimulation Increases Scavenger Receptor A Expression On Murine Macrophages, Mackenzie L. Guthrie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sepsis is the body’s response to an overwhelming infection and is a serious consequence of critical illness. It can cause tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Sepsis continues to have an unacceptably high mortality rate, due to the lack of effective treatments. Specific therapeutic targets for sepsis remain elusive since the complex functional changes that result in a septic state remain poorly understood. Macrophage Scavenger Receptor A (SRA, CD204) is a surface receptor that binds negatively charged, endogenous and exogenous ligands. We have discovered that SRA plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of sepsis. We have shown that mice …

A Comparative Analysis Of The West African Hemorrhagic Fevers Caused By The Lassa And Ebola Viruses, Emiene E. Amali-Adekwu

Selected Honors Theses

Lassa fever (LF) and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) are viral diseases endemic to West Africa.The etiological agent of Lassa fever is an enveloped virus from the Arenaviridae family and was first discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died of a mysterious illness in the town of Lassa in Borno state, Nigeria.1 This virus is animal-borne (zoonotic) and is carried by the animal vector Mastomys natalensis (multimammate rat). The Ebola virus is also zoonotic originating from fruit bats belonging to the Pteropodidae family.2 The first reported case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was a principal who was believed to have …

Role Of Modern Immunotherapy In Gastrointestinal Malignancies: A Review Of Current Clinical Progress, Zin W. Myint, Gaurav Goel

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are a group of highly aggressive malignancies with a huge disease burden worldwide. There is clearly a significant unmet need for new drugs and therapies to further improve the treatment outcomes of GI malignancies. Immunotherapy is a novel treatment strategy that is emerging as an effective and promising treatment option against several types of cancers. CTLA-4 and PD-1 are critical immune checkpoint molecules that negatively regulate T cell activation via distinct mechanisms. Immune checkpoint blockade with antibodies directed against these pathways has already shown clinical efficacy that has led to their FDA approval in the treatment of …

Creation Of An Immunodeficient Hla-Transgenic Mouse (Humamice) And Functional Validation Of Human Immunity After Transfer Of Hla-Matched Human Cells, Yang Zeng, Bingrun Liu, Marie-Therese Rubio, Xinyue Wang, David M. Ojcius, Ruoping Tang, Antoine Durrbach, Zhitao Ru, Yusen Zhou, Yu-Chun Lone

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Research on human immunology has been hindered by the lack of optimal small animal models, given that the protective immune responses of human and non-human species show significant differences. However, due to ethical constraints[1] and the high cost of clinical trials, it is urgent to improve the current animal models that can mimic faithfully human physiology, particularly the human immune system (HIS). HIS mice had been generated recently by engrafting human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) or human peripheral mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) into highly immuno-deficient mice such as NSG, NOG or NRG mice. However, a major experimental drawback for studies using …

Validation Of The Pre-B Cell Receptor As A Therapeutic Target In B Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Michael Frank Erasmus

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

This dissertation is built upon the fundamental idea that the pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR) is important to leukemia cell survival and a logical therapeutic target in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). The pre-BCR is expressed early at a specific stage during B cell development where it plays a central role in survival of healthy B lymphocytes. This receptor is composed of the membrane heavy chain (mIgμ) associated with surrogate light chain components, 5 and VpreB. Through the use of advanced imaging modalities, in particular two-color single particle tracking (SPT), we showed that pre-BCRs formed transient, homotypic interactions. These …

Pulmonary Microrna Profiles Identify Involvement Of Creb1 And Sec14l3 In Bronchial Epithelial Changes In Allergic Asthma., Sabine Bartel, Nikola Schulz, Francesca Alessandrini, Andrea C Schamberger, Philipp Pagel, Fabian J Theis, Katrin Milger, Elfriede Noessner, Stephen M Stick, Anthony Kicic, Oliver Eickelberg, Robert J Freishtat, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann

Medicine Faculty Publications

Asthma is highly prevalent, but current therapies cannot influence the chronic course of the disease. It is thus important to understand underlying early molecular events. In this study, we aimed to use microRNAs (miRNAs) - which are critical regulators of signaling cascades - to identify so far uncharacterized asthma pathogenesis pathways. Therefore, deregulation of miRNAs was assessed in whole lungs from mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation (AAI). In silico predicted target genes were confirmed in reporter assays and in house-dust-mite (HDM) induced AAI and primary human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) cultured at the air-liquid interface. We identified and …

Development Of An Interleukin-4-Inducing Principle From Schistosoma Mansoni Eggs (Ipse)-Specific Pcr Assay As A Quantitative Predictor Of Schistosomiasis-Associated Morbidity, Dannah Farah, Evaristis Mbanefo, Michael H. Hsieh

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting between 200-500 million people worldwide. The two species causing most human cases of schistosomiasis are Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium. The gold standard for diagnosis is parasitological detection of parasite eggs in stool using the Kato-Katz method. Counting eggs shed in stool is labor-intensive and inaccurate. Interleukin-4- inducing principle from Schistosoma mansoni eggs (IPSE) is the most abundant secreted protein from schistosome eggs. We hypothesized that the mRNA transcripts of the IPSE protein may be found in the liver tissue and stool of experimentally infected animals, and that these transcripts can be specifically …

Overcoming Hurdles To Development Of A Vaccine Against Pneumocystis Jirovecii, Beth A. Garvy

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Development of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a common problem among immunosuppressed individuals. There are windows of opportunity in which vaccination would be beneficial, but to date, no vaccines have made it to clinical trials. Significant hurdles to vaccine development include host range specificity, making it difficult to translate from animal models to humans. Discovery of cross-reactive epitopes is critical to moving vaccine candidates from preclinical animal studies to clinical trials.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced Recruitment Of Inflammatory Mononuclear Cells Leads To Inflammation And Altered Brain Development In Murine Cytomegalovirus-Infected Newborn Mice, Maria C. Seleme, Kate Kosmac, Stipan Jonjic, William J. Britt

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a significant cause of abnormal neurodevelopment and long-term neurological sequelae in infants and children. Resident cell populations of the developing brain have been suggested to be more susceptible to virus-induced cytopathology, a pathway thought to contribute to the clinical outcomes following intrauterine HCMV infection. However, recent findings in a newborn mouse model of the infection in the developing brain have indicated that elevated levels of proinflammatory mediators leading to mononuclear cell activation and recruitment could underlie the abnormal neurodevelopment. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-neutralizing …

A Review Of The Role Of Interleukin-6 On Disease Progression In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Urmimala Chaudhuri

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer is one of the most harmful gynecological cancers and has one of the highest mortality rates. As ovarian cancer progresses, the patient has changes to the immune system and energy metabolism with symptoms being weight loss, nausea, and fatigue. Changes to the immune system include overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines. One such cytokine is Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is a useful prognostic marker to measure disease progression. IL-6 is thought to promote cancer cell proliferation by upregulating apoptosis inhibitory proteins. IL-6 also plays a role in ascites formation. While tumors may initially respond to chemotherapy treatment, most patients will have …

Development Of Tools For Stable Transfection In The Human Filarial Parasite Brugia Malayi Via The Piggybac Transposon System, Johan Chabanon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brugia malayi is one of three species of nematode known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF) in humans. LF infects over 120 million people, causing debilitating disease. Various global programs have been launched in the past 20 years to eliminate LF. These programs have greatly scaled up the resources and efforts allocated to halting the transmission and reducing disease burden. Only a few drugs are used to treat LF, and resistance is thus a devastating possibility. Research aimed at identifying new drug targets could therefore prove essential in elimination of LF.

Genetic manipulation of B. malayi has been limited to transient …

Dynamic Transcriptomes Identify Biogenic Amines And Insect-Like Hormonal Regulation For Mediating Reproduction In Schistosoma Japonicum., Jipeng Wang, Ying Yu, Haimo Shen, Tao Qing, Yuanting Zheng, Qing Li, Xiaojin Mo, Shuqi Wang, Nana Li, Riyi Chai, Bin Xu, Mu Liu, Paul J Brindley, Donald P Mcmanus, Zheng Feng, Leming Shi, Wei Hu

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Eggs produced by the mature female parasite are responsible for the pathogenesis and transmission of schistosomiasis. Female schistosomes rely on a unique male-induced strategy to accomplish reproductive development, a process that is incompletely understood. Here we map detailed transcriptomic profiles of male and female Schistosoma japonicum across eight time points throughout the sexual developmental process from pairing to maturation. The dynamic gene expression pattern data reveal clear sex-related characteristics, indicative of an unambiguous functional division between males and females during their interplay. Cluster analysis, in situ hybridization and RNAi assays indicate that males likely use biogenic amine neurotransmitters through the …

Spotlight On Blisibimod And Its Potential In The Treatment Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Evidence To Date, Aleksander Lenert, Timothy B. Niewold, Petar Lenert

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

B cells in general and BAFF (B cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor [TNF] family) in particular have been primary targets of recent clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In 2011, belimumab, a monoclonal antibody against BAFF, became the first biologic agent approved for the treatment of SLE. Follow-up studies have shown excellent long-term safety and tolerability of belimumab. In this review, we critically analyze blisibimod, a novel BAFF-neutralizing agent. In contrast to belimumab that only blocks soluble BAFF trimer but not soluble 60-mer or membrane BAFF, blisibimod blocks with high affinity all three forms of BAFF. …

P23. Elucidation Of The Signaling Pathway Of Mertk, Kyle Taruc

Western Research Forum

Background

Mer Tyrosine Kinase (MERTK) is a receptor which mediates efferocytosis – removal of apoptotic cells by phagocytes such as macrophages. MERTK plays a critical role in homeostasis, with mutations in MERTK associated with the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol-laden plaque in the sub-arterial space. Indeed, one MERTK allele is associated with 66% (heterozygous) to 75% (homozygous) protection from atherosclerosis, while other alleles and SNP’s pre-dispose to atherosclerosis and autoimmunity. Complications resulting from atherosclerosis, including heart attack and stroke, are currently the second leading cause of mortality in Canada. Despite the importance of MERTK in atherosclerosis …

Pulmonary Surfactant Fortified With Cath-2 As A Novel Therapy For Bacterial Pneumonia, Brandon J. Baer

Western Research Forum

Background: Bacterial pneumonia is a leading cause of death worldwide, with high mortality rates persisting even after antibiotic treatment. Current treatments for pneumonia involve administration of antibiotics, however after the bacteria are killed they release toxic substances that induce inflammation and lung dysfunction. Host defense peptides represent a potential solution to this problem through their ability to down regulate inflammation. However, effective delivery to the lung is difficult because of the complex branching structure of the airways. My study addresses this delivery problem by using exogenous surfactant, a pulmonary delivery vehicle capable of improving spreading of these peptides throughout the …

Impact Of A National Guideline On Antibiotic Selection For Hospitalized Pneumonia., Derek J Williams, Matthew Hall, Jeffrey S Gerber, Mark I Neuman, Adam L Hersh, Thomas V Brogan, Kavita Parikh, Sanjay Mahant, Anne J Blaschke, Samir S Shah, Carlos G Grijalva

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the impact of the 2011 Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America pneumonia guideline and hospital-level implementation efforts on antibiotic prescribing for children hospitalized with pneumonia.

METHODS: We assessed inpatient antibiotic prescribing for pneumonia at 28 children's hospitals between August 2009 and March 2015. Each hospital was also surveyed regarding local implementation efforts targeting antibiotic prescribing and organizational readiness to adopt guideline recommendations. To estimate guideline impact, we used segmented linear regression to compare the proportion of children receiving penicillins in March 2015 with the expected proportion at this same time point had the guideline not …

Foxo3 Increases Mir-34a To Cause Palmitate-Induced Cholangiocyte Lipoapoptosis, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Bailey A. Stringham, Ashley M. Mohr, Cody J. Wehrkamp, Sizhao Lu, Mary Anne Phillippi, Duygu Dee Harrison-Findik, Justin L. Mott

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients have elevated plasma saturated free fatty acid levels. These toxic fatty acids can induce liver cell death and our recent results demonstrated that the biliary epithelium may be susceptible to lipotoxicity. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms of cholangiocyte lipoapoptosis in cell culture and in an animal model of NASH. Treatment of cholangiocytes with palmitate (PA) showed increased caspase 3/7 activity and increased levels of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and cleaved caspase 3, demonstrating cholangiocyte lipoapoptosis. Interestingly, treatment with PA significantly increased the levels of microRNA miR-34a, a pro-apoptotic microRNA known to be elevated in NASH. …

A Blueprint To Evaluate One Health, Simon R. Rüegg, Barry J. Mcmahon, Barbara Häsler, Roberto Esposito, Helen O'Shea, Et Al

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

One Health (OH) positions health professionals as agents for change and provides a platform to manage determinants of health that are often not comprehensively captured in medicine or public health alone. However, due to the organization of societies and disciplines, and the sectoral allocation of resources, the development of transdisciplinary approaches requires effort and perseverance. Therefore, there is a need to provide evidence on the added value of OH for governments, researchers, funding bodies, and stakeholders. This paper outlines a conceptual framework of what OH approaches can encompass and the added values they can provide. The framework was developed during …

Elevated Prevalence Of Helicobacter Species And Virulence Factors In Opisthorchiasis And Associated Hepatobiliary Disease., Raksawan Deenonpoe, Eimorn Mairiang, Pisaln Mairiang, Chawalit Pairojkul, Yaovalux Chamgramol, Gabriel Rinaldi, Alex Loukas, Paul J. Brindley, Banchob Sripa

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Recent reports suggest that Opisthorchis viverrini serves as a reservoir of Helicobacter and implicate Helicobacter in pathogenesis of opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Here, 553 age-sex matched cases and controls, 293 and 260 positive and negative for liver fluke O. viverrini eggs, of residents in Northeastern Thailand were investigated for associations among infection with liver fluke, Helicobacter and hepatobiliary fibrosis. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was higher in O. viverrini-infected than uninfected participants. H. pylori bacterial load correlated positively with intensity of O. viverrini infection, and participants with opisthorchiasis exhibited higher frequency of virulent cagA-positive H. pylori than those free of …

Advances In Neglected Tropical Disease Vaccines: Developing Relative Potency And Functional Assays For The Na-Gst-1/Alhydrogel Hookworm Vaccine., Jill B. Brelsford, Jordan L Plieskatt, Anna Yakovleva, Amar Jariwala, Brian P Keegan, Jin Peng, Pengjun Xia, Guangzhao Li, Doreen Campbell, Maria Victoria Periago, Rodrigo Correa-Oliveira, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter J. Hotez, David Diemert, Jeffrey M. Bethony

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

A new generation of vaccines for the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have now advanced into clinical development, with the Na-GST-1/Alhydrogel Hookworm Vaccine already being tested in Phase 1 studies in healthy adults. The current manuscript focuses on the often overlooked critical aspects of NTD vaccine product development, more specifically, vaccine stability testing programs. A key measure of vaccine stability testing is "relative potency" or the immunogenicity of the vaccine during storage. As with most NTD vaccines, the Na-GST-1/Alhydrogel Hookworm Vaccine was not developed by attenuation or inactivation of the pathogen (Necator americanus), so conventional methods for measuring relative potency are …