Sheena Hailin Wang: Novel Delivery Systems for Nasal Administration of Anthrax Vaccine (Under the direction of Dr. Anthony J. Hickey, Ph.D., D.Sc.) There is current biodefense interest in protection against Anthrax. The inhaled form of anthrax is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal without prompt antibiotic intervention. Prophylactic vaccination has become a critical measure for protection o...

West Nile virus (WNV) causes potentially fatal neuroinvasive disease and persists at endemic levels in many parts of the world. Despite advances in our understanding of WNV pathogenesis, there remains a significant need for a human vaccine. The domain III (DIII) region of the WNV envelope protein contains epitopes that are the target of neutralizing antibodies. We have constructed a chimeric fu...

BACKGROUND The ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is a rationale target antigen candidate for the development of a universal vaccine against influenza as M2e undergoes little sequence variation amongst human influenza A strains. Vaccine-induced M2e-specific antibodies (Abs) have been shown to display significant cross-protective activity in animal models. M2e-based vaccin...

Induction of local antiviral immune responses at the mucosal portal surfaces where HIV-1 and other viral pathogens are usually first encountered remains a primary goal for most vaccines against mucosally acquired viral infections. Exploring mucosal immunization regimes in order to find optimal vector combinations and also appropriate mucosal adjuvants in the HIV vaccine development is decisive....

Oral vaccination enables pain-free and self-administrable vaccine delivery for rapid mass during pandemic outbreaks. Furthermore, it elicits systemic mucosal immune responses. This protects against infection at surfaces, which may further enhance protection minimize the spread of disease. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract presents a number prospective inductive sites targeting, including oral cav...

Colonization of the human nasopharyngeal region by Neisseria meningitidis is believed to lead to natural immunity. Although the presence of bactericidal antibody in serum has been correlated with immunity to meningococcal disease, mucosal immunity at the portal of entry may also play an important role. This study was undertaken to examine in mice the possibility of safely using native outer mem...

The global use of a capsular polysaccharide-based pneumococcal vaccine has been limited because of serotype-specific protection and poor effectiveness in individuals with low immunocompetency. The mucosal immune system develops earlier in infants and lasts longer in the elderly than does the systemic immune system. Furthermore, mucosal immunization is beneficial for AIDS patients, because human...

The conference Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination of the Keystone Symposia was held on December 13-18, 2012, in Ottawa, Canada. There were more than 400 participants from all over the world in the fi eld of immunology and vaccine research. During fi ve days, attendees had the possibility to present and discuss their current work and also to encourage new collaborations. Fifty-fi ve oral pr...

A lipopolysaccharide from Pantoea agglomerans (LPSpa) has been applied to various fields for human use as a Toll-like receptor 4 ligand and its safety has been confirmed. Here, we showed for the first time the application of LPSpa as an effective mucosal adjuvant for activating vaccine-induced antigen specific immune responses. Mice sublingually immunized with influenza vaccine (HA split vaccin...

Background: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is an infectious zoonotic pathogen causing human infections. These infections, in some cases, can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome and its life-threatening complications and even death worldwide. The first intimate bacterial adhesion, intimin (I), with its own receptor translocated intimin receptor (Tir) and E. coli secreted protein...