PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

An advance for a newborn vaccine approach

Study in blood from Gambian infants suggests possible efficacy in developing-world settings

2011-04-14
(Press-News.org) Infectious disease is a huge cause of death globally, and is a particular threat to newborns whose immune systems respond poorly to most vaccines. A new approach developed at Children's Hospital Boston, using an adjuvant (an agent to stimulate the immune system) along with the vaccine, shows promise in a study of blood from Gambian infants. Results will appear in the open-access journal PLoS ONE on April 13.

The ability to immunize newborns would close their window of vulnerability to serious infections during the first months of life, such as respiratory syncytial virus, pneumococcus and rotavirus. It would provide a way to protect newborns both in resource-poor countries, where a baby may have limited opportunities to be vaccinated, and in wealthier nations like the U.S. where typical immunization schedules (at 2, 4 and 6 months of age) leave infants under 6 months vulnerable.

The research, led by Sarah Burl, PhD and Katie Flanagan, PhD, of the Medical Research Council (MRC; U.K.) laboratories in The Gambia, and Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, of Children's Division of Infectious Diseases, builds on a decade of work in Levy's lab studying stimulators of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a family of receptors on immune cells, as potential vaccine adjuvants. In 2006, the lab showed that stimulating one TLR -- TLR8 -- triggered a robust immune response in a key group of white blood cells called antigen-presenting cells.

In the new multinational study, funded by the MRC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, investigators stimulated blood samples from 120 Gambian infants with a panel of different TLR stimulators (agonists), and measured production of cytokines from white blood cells – all elements of the immune response that are difficult to elicit in newborns. The infants ranged from newborn to 12 months of age, allowing the researchers to examine age-specific effects and see if the adjuvants remained effective over time.

Many of the TLR agonists, including TLR4 and TLR5 agonists, elicited some form of immune response, but a thiazoloquinoline compound, stimulating TLR7 and 8, elicited the greatest production of the cytokine TNF-alpha, a key component of the immune response, during the first month of life, and was the only compound to elicit production of the cytokine interferon gamma in newborns. TLR8 agonists continued to induce the greatest production of TNFα and IFNγ throughout the first year of life.

"Currently, until an infant gets the full vaccination series, he or she is not fully protected," Levy explains. "The adjuvant could be combined with any vaccine, and if things work very well, it could provide single-shot protection at birth."

"Our findings in The Gambia highlight the importance of international collaboration and further underscore the potential of TLR8 adjuvants as a broadly applicable platform to enhance vaccine responses," Levy says. "This could possibly reduce the number of immunizations needed and the antigen dose required -- both of which would be major wins for global health."

### After April 13, the paper will be publicly viewable at: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018185

Children's Hospital Boston is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 12 members of the Institute of Medicine and 13 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's today is a 392-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. Children's also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about research and clinical innovation at Children's visit: Vector Blog.

Established in The Gambia in 1947, the MRC is the UK 's single largest investment in medical research in a developing country. The Unit has 4 field sites including one based in Guinea Bissau and an established staff complement of about 200 scientists, clinicians and senior administrative staff from many parts of the world The Unit's research focuses on infectious diseases of immediate concern to The Gambia and the continent of Africa, with the aim of reducing the burden of illness and death in the country and the developing world as a whole. For more information, visit http://www.mrc.gm/AboutMRCGambia/index.php?id_sec=1.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Understanding Your Breast Reconstruction Options: Autologous Tissue

2011-04-14
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer that requires surgery, the time to consider reconstruction options is now, even before you schedule your mastectomy or lumpectomy. Because the type of mastectomy procedure you receive can have a significant impact on your reconstruction options, failing to consider your options early can limit them later. Getting breast reconstruction is optional, it is not required, and some women find that life without breasts is freeing. However, if you would prefer to maintain your feminine appearance, breast reconstruction is a far ...

Biological arms races in birds result in sophisticated defenses against cuckoos

Biological arms races in birds result in sophisticated defenses against cuckoos
2011-04-14
VIDEO: The film clip shows a nest of the most frequent host of the cuckoo finch, the tawny-flanked prinia, which has an extravagantly diverse range of eggs. The prinia parent has... Click here for more information. New research reveals how biological arms races between cuckoos and host birds can escalate into a competition between the host evolving new, unique egg patterns (or 'signatures') and the parasite new forgeries. Brood parasitic birds such as cuckoos lay eggs ...

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Georgia?

2011-04-14
The moments immediately following a serious auto accident can be overwhelming and scary, especially if someone suffers serious personal injury or death. Oftentimes, people are in a state of shock and not thinking clearly following a horrific car accident, but the moments immediately following the accident are critical to the outcome of a personal injury claim that may be filed later. For this reason, even though you will be overwhelmed and frightened, it is important that you take certain steps after a car accident and never admit fault at the scene of the accident ...

Plasma nanoscience needed for green energy revolution

2011-04-14
A step change in research relating to plasma nanoscience is needed for the world to overcome the challenge of sufficient energy creation and storage, says a leading scientist from CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering and the University of Sydney, Australia. Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov of the Plasma Nanoscience Centre Australia, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, has highlighted, in IOP Publishing's Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, the unique potential of plasma nanoscience to control energy and matter at fundamental levels to produce cost-effective, ...

Correcting Severe Dental Problems

2011-04-14
The modern cosmetic dentist is increasingly able to correct severe dental problems more comfortably and in less time. Treatment options are available for everything from repairing or replacing a tooth to realigning your jaw. It is important to pay attention to any discomfort as it may be a sign of an undiscovered issue. Preventing and Treating Tooth Erosion Frequent visits to your dentist combined with healthy oral hygiene at home are the best preventions for dental problems. Serious infection can occur from a damaged tooth that goes undetected. While teeth naturally ...

Stillbirths: The invisible public health problem

Stillbirths: The invisible public health problem
2011-04-14
Some 2.6 million third trimester stillbirths worldwide occur every year, according to the first comprehensive set of stillbirth estimates, published today within a special series in the medical journal The Lancet. Every day more than 7,300 babies are stillborn. A death occurs just when parents expect to welcome a new life. Ninety-eight percent of stillbirths occur in low and middle-income countries. Wealthier nations are not immune with 1 in 200 pregnancies resulting in a stillbirth - two thirds occurring in the last trimester of pregnancy, a rate that has stagnated ...

Child Custody and Child Support Considerations

2011-04-14
Parenting time and child custody are necessary considerations in divorce agreements where children are involved. This is a particularly difficult process and can result in lengthy legal battles. Ultimately, the courts will determine what is in the best interest of the child. This may require expert testimony from a Child and Family Investigator appointed by the court, or from friends and relatives of the parents and children. Considerations in Custody Battles The court will consider several factors when determining the best interest of a child. This can include things ...

Loch fossils show life harnessed sun and sex early on

Loch fossils show life harnessed sun and sex early on
2011-04-14
Remote lochs along the west coast of Scotland are turning up new evidence about the origins of life on land. A team of scientists exploring rocks around Loch Torridon have discovered the remarkably preserved remains of organisms that once lived on the bottom of ancient lake beds as long as a billion (1000 million) years ago. These fossils illuminate a key moment in the history of evolution when life made the leap from tiny, simple bacterial (prokaryote) cells towards larger, more complex (eukaryotic) cells which would make photosynthesis and sexual reproduction possible. The ...

Experimental treatment for COPD in development

2011-04-14
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a non-steroid based strategy for improving the lung's innate immune defense and decreasing inflammation that can be a problem for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a study published in the April 13 edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, the Johns Hopkins researchers targeted the Nrf2 pathway using sulforaphane, an ingredient that is present in broccoli in a precursor form, to enhance the Nrf2 pathway in the lung that mediates the uptake of bacteria. ...

Rules of the Road for California Motorcyclists

2011-04-14
California's temperate climate, long stretches of highway and sunny days make it a motorcyclist's dream. Riders can take to the streets all year long, feeling the wind in their hair and enjoying the freedom that can only be felt on a bike. Of course, as gas prices and temperatures continue to climb, more and more motorcycles will be on the road. Before summer riding season gets in full swing, though, it is important for California motorcyclists to know the rules of the road, including two laws unique to motorcycles. What Is Different for Motorcycles Versus Passenger ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe makes history with closest pass to Sun

Are we ready for the ethical challenges of AI and robots?

Nanotechnology: Light enables an "impossibile" molecular fit

Estimated vaccine effectiveness for pediatric patients with severe influenza

Changes to the US preventive services task force screening guidelines and incidence of breast cancer

Urgent action needed to protect the Parma wallaby

Societal inequality linked to reduced brain health in aging and dementia

Singles differ in personality traits and life satisfaction compared to partnered people

President Biden signs bipartisan HEARTS Act into law

Advanced DNA storage: Cheng Zhang and Long Qian’s team introduce epi-bit method in Nature

New hope for male infertility: PKU researchers discover key mechanism in Klinefelter syndrome

Room-temperature non-volatile optical manipulation of polar order in a charge density wave

Coupled decline in ocean pH and carbonate saturation during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Unlocking the Future of Superconductors in non-van-der Waals 2D Polymers

Starlight to sight: Breakthrough in short-wave infrared detection

Land use changes and China’s carbon sequestration potential

PKU scientists reveals phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change

Aerobic exercise and weight loss in adults

Persistent short sleep duration from pregnancy to 2 to 7 years after delivery and metabolic health

Kidney function decline after COVID-19 infection

Investigation uncovers poor quality of dental coverage under Medicare Advantage

Cooking sulfur-containing vegetables can promote the formation of trans-fatty acids

How do monkeys recognize snakes so fast?

Revolutionizing stent surgery for cardiovascular diseases with laser patterning technology

Fish-friendly dentistry: New method makes oral research non-lethal

Call for papers: 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment (APTE 2025)

A novel disturbance rejection optimal guidance method for enhancing precision landing performance of reusable rockets

New scan method unveils lung function secrets

Searching for hidden medieval stories from the island of the Sagas

Breakthrough study reveals bumetanide treatment restores early social communication in fragile X syndrome mouse model

[Press-News.org] An advance for a newborn vaccine approach
Study in blood from Gambian infants suggests possible efficacy in developing-world settings