Investigators at the University of Bristol and Biognos AB have identified a structural feature that distinguished the deadly coronavirus strains from harmless, common cold-causing variants. The findings, which were published in the Nov. 23, 2022, issue of Science Advances, could form the basis of universal COVID antivirals, putting an end to the endless race to deal with new variants that has so far been a necessity.

Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-resident immune cells and are responsible for allergic and inflammatory processes. One potential approach for targeting MCs is to engage inhibitory receptors that can silence MC activation, such as sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (siglecs). Siglec-6 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on human MCs and represents an attractive therapeutic target for this purpose. Siglec-6 engagement with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) was recently shown to inhibit MC activation in vitro.

Does cancer cause autoimmune disease or is it the other way around? In looking at the question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg, researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia found that a genetic mutation that alters immune cells in leukemia is behind certain autoimmune disorders.

A combination of radiation therapy and CD47 blockade induced an abscopal effect in animal studies even in animals that lacked T cells, researchers reported in the Nov. 21, 2022, online issue of Nature Cancer.

Emergex Vaccines Holding Ltd. has generated a chikungunya virus (CHIKV) ligandome, the first major milestone in the development of the company's CD8+ T-cell CHIKV adaptive vaccine candidate. Using an immunoproteomics approach, naturally presented MHC Class I-restricted peptides on the surface of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typed cell line infected with CHIKV virus were extracted and identified.

Researchers from King's College London and UCB Pharma Inc. recently reported preclinical data on the effects of an anti-mouse neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antibody, UCB-4470, on circulating antiphospholipid (aPL) and aPL-induced thrombus formation in mice.

Investigators at the University of Bristol and Biognos AB have identified a structural feature that distinguished the deadly coronavirus strains from harmless, common cold-causing variants. The findings, which were published in the Nov. 23, 2022, issue of Science Advances, could form the basis of universal COVID antivirals, putting an end to the endless race to deal with new variants that has so far been a necessity.

The researchers showed that the same pocket, a binding site for linoleic acid (LA), was present in all variants of concern (VOCs) that have emerged since 2020. “Intriguingly, all SARS-CoV-2 VOCs stringently maintain this pocket, notably including Omicron, which accumulated a wide range of mutations in [the spike protein] elsewhere, suggesting that the pocket provides a selective advantage for the virus,” they wrote in their paper.

A combination of radiation therapy and CD47 blockade induced an abscopal effect in animal studies even in animals that lacked T cells, researchers reported in the Nov. 21, 2022, online issue of Nature Cancer. The findings are “the first demonstration of T-cell-independent abscopal response,” co-corresponding author Edward Graves told BioWorld. “We’re not trying to say that all abscopal responses are macrophage-mediated. There are plenty that require T cells,” Graves clarified. But “there is another avenue of abscopal responses that has not been reported. ... All the abscopal literature is about stimulating an adaptive response.”

Blue Water Vaccines Inc. has signed an exclusive, global license agreement for the development of a live attenuated, oral chlamydia vaccine candidate from The University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio. Developed at UT Health San Antonio, the novel vaccine candidate utilizes a live attenuated chlamydia strain, Chlamydia muridarum.