Mucosal Immunity

STI Vaccines at #STIHIV2025 #IUSTI #ISSTDR

Professor Helen Rees
- HPV Vaccine uptakes rising with move to 1-dose and the pipeline of therapeutic HPV vaccines promising
- Syphilis vaccine candidates but all preclinical phase
- Herpes simplex vaccine candidates - preclinical phase
- Gonorrhoea - 4CMenB may be useful (~30-40% effective)
- Chlamydia - preclinical phase.
- Trichomoniasis - preclinical phase.
- Mpox - 3 licensed vaccines (originally for small pox) - access remains an issue
- Vaccine hesitancy needs to be addressed. Convenience. Complacency. Convenience. Context.

Professor Sanjay Ram
- Chlamydia: "bacteria that thinks it is a virus".
majority would generate antibodies against chlamydia but does not affect chance of reinfection.
high titres of antibodies may be associated with greater complications (PID).
Mice model - CD4 cells are important for clearing genital infection.
- Syphilis
previous syphilis can alter course of subsequent episode of syphilis
- Gono
No immunity following gonococcal infection.
Intravacc (intranasal) vaccine, LimmaTech Biologics "6-in-1" vaccine might be promising.

Throughout life, everyone is exposed to foreign antigens that enter the body through the skin, lungs, and gut. In particular, early life sees the ingestion of many new types of food and encounters with microbes that colonize mucosal tissues. How immune systems learn to “tolerate” foreign antigens, yet remain quickly responsive to other threats such as pathogenic viruses and bacteria, remains an unsolved problem in immunology.

In a new Science study, researchers describe a key piece of the puzzle. The authors identify a subtype of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the mesenteric lymph nodes in mice that help train regulatory T cells (Treg cells) to suppress inflammatory responses to food antigens in the period around weaning. The identification of this APC subtype potentially opens the door to the development of therapies for food-associated allergies and inflammatory diseases.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/44zUUSK | 10 comments on LinkedIn

Immunity to respiratory viruses

Spatial single‑cell atlas of the airway wall defines proinflammatory cell hubs in asthma—chemokine/alarmin‑rich niches shaped by ACKR1 and mast‑cell amphiregulin, suggesting targeted intervention paths

A Review of Currently Licensed Mucosal COVID-19 Vaccines -

Recent review on mucosal COVID-19 vaccines approved by the FDA. Unlike most injectable vaccines, they induce a robust mucosal immune response with secretory IgA antibodies. Mucosal vaccines also lead to a strong systemic cellular and humoral immune response.

To date, only five active mucosal vaccines have received regulatory approval for human use, and at least 29 are under clinical trials. Approved vaccines use intranasal, sometimes also combined with intramuscular doses. Most of them utilize replication incompetent viruses (e.g. adenovirus) to deliver the antigen to the nasal mucose via nasal sprays or nebulizers.

https://sco.lt/8DN1Jg

#covid19 #health #globalhealth #publichealth #medicine #biotechnology #pharmaceuticals #FDA #WHO #CDC #ECDC #NIAID #clinicaltrials #immunology #vaccines

Floss-based vaccination targets the gingival sulcus for mucosal and systemic immunization - Nature Biomedical Engineering

Since the release of the first Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome in 1998, major advances have been made in understanding the biology of this pathogen, the leading infectious cause of death in modern human history. In this Review, we outline the physiological and metabolic features thought to underpin the survival, evasion and subversion strategies employed by M. tuberculosis as it drives a cycle of transmission, infection and disease in its obligate human host. We also consider adaptations to key host innate immune effectors, including the roles of granulocytes, phagosomal damage and repair, autophagy and cell death in determining host–mycobacterium outcomes. Given the increasing awareness of the importance of asymptomatic M. tuberculosis infection and transmission, we advocate for the need to ensure greater intersection between laboratory and clinical research, taking into account the environmental context in which natural infection and disease occur. We identify knowledge gaps in the field and reflect on the opportunities and challenges for integrating host, bacterium and environment into future investigations to inform intervention strategies to control tuberculosis disease. In this Review, Warner, Barczak, Gutierrez and Mizrahi explore essential aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology and biology, present recent advances related to its pathogenesis, metabolism and immune evasion mechanisms, and propose future directions for research.

Distal airway epithelial progenitors mediate TGF-β release to drive lung CD8+ TRM induction following mucosal BCG vaccination

A powerful reminder of the untapped potential of 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆.

Too few vaccines—especially for respiratory viruses and cancers—leverage mucosal immunity, despite it being our first line of defense.

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹. showcase a biomineralized nanovaccine delivered 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 to bypass the BBB and target glioblastoma via the nose-to-brain route. No needles. No systemic detours.

What’s especially exciting: the virus-like particle acts as 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁. By displaying a glioma-associated peptide (EphA2₆₇₁–₆₇₉) on calcium phosphate-coated HBcAg VLPs, this platform drives potent, durable immune responses. It improves mucosal adhesion, boosts tumor accumulation, and reshapes the tumor microenvironment by increasing effector T cells while reducing Tregs and M2 macrophages.

Clear momentum building for mucosal vaccines 𝘢𝘯𝘥 CNS-targeted immunotherapy.

Link in the comments 👇

#MucosalImmunology #MucosalVaccines #Immunotherapy #Glioblastoma #DrugDelivery #NeuroOncology #CancerVaccines #VirusLikeParticles #Nanomedicine #TranslationalResearch

How do immune cells in a pig lung change after influenza infection or vaccination