Search Abstracts

Background The need to understand key players driving pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in COVID-19 patients leading to effective preventive strategies is imminent. Excessive neutrophil activation, including extracellular trap (NET) formation, is associated with severe COVID-19 and long-term pulmonary sequelae. However, the clinical applications of neutrophil-targeting therapies are challenging due to short bioavailability and lack of…

Background T cell immunity may explain sustained viral control off ART after bNAbs in non-human primates, but evidence from human trials is limited. Proof of a bNAb-induced ‘vaccinal effect’ requires evidence of both enhanced HIV-specific immunity and associated viral control. The RIO trial facilitated analysis of participants receiving two LS-bNAbs (10-1074 & 3BNC117) followed by…

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in people hospitalized with COVID-19. The etiology of AKI is likely multifactorial, with potential contributions from hemodynamic compromise, systemic inflammation, cytokine release, and local viral infection. People with COVID-19 and AKI have higher levels of systemic markers of inflammation than those with normal kidney function. To…

Background Numerous risk factors for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection have been identified, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions often co-occur and may be influenced by diet. We sought to investigate the impact of diet directly on SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as the understudied area of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV co-infection, which we modeled with SIV…

Background COVID-19 continues to be a health challenge with critical knowledge gaps existing in the understanding of mechanisms driving severity in comorbid conditions. Clinical observations points to a higher susceptibility to COVID-19 in people living with HIV (PLHIV) but the precise mechanisms are still unknown. Methods Our group was amongst few that established the rhesus…

Background Several classes of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) exhibit distinct immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) gene usage, and many HIV vaccine strategies aim to elicit public bnAb clonotypes. Here, we performed a systematic analysis of HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer reactive B cell receptor (BCR) repertoires in bnAb inducers to define public features of IGHV…

Background Clade IIb mpox cases have declined globally, likely due to vaccine and post-infection immunity alongside behavioural changes. However, breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals and reports of reinfections raise questions about immune durability and the need for vaccine booster doses. We aimed to assess the durability of antibody responses following mpox and Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA)…

Background Strategies to enhance immune responses towards HIV-infected cells are needed for eliminating HIV reservoirs. Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) plays a key role in HIV protection. In cancer, Tri-specific Killer Engagers (TriKEs), consisting of a CD16-binding domain, an antigen-targeting domain, and an IL-15 moiety, enhance NK cell-mediated ADCC by forming immune synapses…

Background The mechanism by which B cells sense antigen affinity and initiate signaling that leads to full B activation and differentiation remains unclear. Understanding the relationship between antigen affinity/kinetic rates and selection of functional mutations is critical for HIV-1 Envelope (Env) protein immunogens designed to target broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) precursors. Previously, we had reported…

Background Despite its effectiveness in suppressing active HIV replication, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not eliminate the long-lived pool of HIV reservoir cells. Lymphoid tissues are a major reservoir even in the context of ART, but most studies on latent reservoirs focus on peripheral blood. The complex interplay between immune cells and the mechanisms that maintain…