influenza vaccine (MonoGrippol Neo)

Olfactory Tuft Cells Are Critical to Basal Inflammation, Innate Immune Response to Viral Infection, and Modulation of Quiescent Stem Cell Activation, Proliferation and Differentiation.

Zhang Sai-Sai SS, Wang Haiyan H, Yang Yi-Sen YS, Li Yi-Hong YH et al.

The olfactory mucosa serves as both a sensory organ and an immune barrier to protect against bacterial and viral invasion and other insults. It is unclear how different types of olfactory mucosal cells coordinate and contribute to these two functions. We set out to reveal the critical roles of a subset of microvillous cells of the mucosa, olfactory tuft cells, in protecting and reconstructing this vital olfactory sensory organ. We first validated the expression of canonical gustatory signalling proteins and other molecular markers in olfactory tuft cells. Genetic disruption of the Gng13 and Trpm5 genes that encode the two gustatory signalling proteins, G protein subunit Gγ13 and transient receptor potential ion channel Trpm5, respectively, resulted in elevated basal inflammation and enhanced activation of the quiescent stem cells-horizontal basal cells (HBCs) in the mucosa. Nasal infection of H1N1 influenza virus further exacerbated the inflammation and delayed the resolution of inflammation in the mutant mucosa, including more immune cell infiltration, augmented cytokine production and cell death, increased HBC proliferation and direct differentiation into tuft cells, and prolonged olfactory tuft cell hyperplasia. Cytokine treatment of the cultured olfactory epithelial organoids indicated that the cytokines that were found to be elevated in the mutant mucosa, including interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-13 and interferon-γ (INF-γ), are able to stimulate HBC activation. Together, our results indicate that olfactory tuft cells play an important role in maintaining the baseline inflammation under the steady-state condition, and altering inflammatory magnitude and modulating HBC activation and differentiation in the olfactory mucosa following the viral infection. Our findings shed light on new roles of olfactory tuft cells in innate immune response, quiescent stem cell activation and neuroimmune interactions, and provide novel therapeutic targets for preventing and treating stem cell-related olfactory disorders such as chronic rhinosinusitis and long COVID.

Association between body mass index and influenza antibody titer and immune cell count after influenza vaccination: an exploratory study.

Böll Selina S, Schmitz Timo T, Eggers Maren M, Linseisen Jakob J et al.

Obesity is associated with altered immune function and may therefore influence the response to influenza vaccination. So, the objective was to investigate whether body mass index (BMI) affected influenza-specific antibody titers and immune cell counts after vaccination. A subgroup of 25 participants from the MEGA cohort, a prospective observational study in Augsburg, Germany, aged 25-65 years, was analyzed, including 18 normal-weight individuals and 7 participants with obesity. Influenza antibody titers and immune cell phenotypes were assessed at four visits over nine months following vaccination. Differences between normal-weight and obese individuals were analyzed graphically using boxplots and tested using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney-U-test. At baseline, no significant differences in antibody titers were observed between BMI groups. Following vaccination, antibody titers increased in both groups and remained above pre-vaccination levels throughout follow-up. In the normal-weight group, the titers for all four analyzed antibodies differed significantly at every visit compared to visit 1. This was not the case in the obese group, where only the titers for the antibodies B/Colorado/06/2017 and B/Phuket/3073/2013 differed at the different visits in comparison to visit 1. Furthermore, obese participants showed a non-significant downward trend in Treg cell proportions over time; total T-cell counts did not demonstrate clear group-specific differences. B-cell proportions showed no consistent time trend, but significant within-group differences were observed between visits 1 and 4 in the normal-weight group and visits 1 and 2 in the obese group, with significant differences between groups at visits 1 and 3. The findings suggest that BMI may influence cellular immune responses after influenza vaccination, whereas antibody responses appeared broadly similar among BMI groups. Given the limited sample size these observations should be interpreted as exploratory. Larger studies are needed to clarify this relationship and to inform the development of tailored vaccination strategies for obese individuals.

A Practical Step Forward in Human Dermal Papilla Cell Isolation and Expansion: ROBO2 as Surface Marker and CH + F9 as Culture Platform.

Yu Yu-Sheng YS, Lin Sung-Jan SJ

Comprehensive Stability Assessment of Squalene in a Nanoemulsion Adjuvant and the SpiN-Tec Vaccine: HPLC Quantification, Stress Testing, and Stability Studies.

Gomes Isabela Pereira IP, Rivelli Graziella Gomes GG, Bagno Flávia Fonseca FF, Hojo-Souza Natália Satchiko NS et al.

Squalene-based nanoemulsions are widely used as adjuvants in vaccine formulations, but their stability can be affected by environmental factors such as pH, oxidative stress, temperature, and light. We have produced a squalene nanoemulsion (CTVad1) to support the clinical development of new vaccines. This study aimed to develop and validate an HPLC method for squalene quantification in SpiN-Tec, a recombinant protein vaccine against COVID-19. We also aimed to evaluate the stability of the CTVad1 adjuvant and SpiN-Tec under controlled storage conditions. A reversed-phase HPLC method was developed and validated, and comprehensive forced degradation studies were performed on the raw material and SpiN-Tec under acidic, basic, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic conditions to demonstrate the stability-indicating capability of the method. Physicochemical, morphological, and biological characteristics were assessed, and stability studies of both the vaccine and the CTVad1 adjuvant were performed under accelerated and long-term conditions. The HPLC method was selective, precise, accurate, linear, and robust. Squalene raw material degraded under all tested conditions, whereas formulation in nano-sized globules improved its stability, with degradation observed only under hydrogen peroxide and light exposure. CTVad1 remained stable over time, exhibiting only minor, non-critical changes within the specification limits in both accelerated and long-term stability studies, regardless of the glass packaging used (clear or amber). In addition, the SpiN-Tec vaccine maintained its physicochemical and biological integrity under all tested conditions, with all evaluated parameters remaining within the established specification ranges. Our findings demonstrate that proper formulation, packaging, and storage conditions can preserve squalene stability in nanoemulsion-based vaccines, ensuring the quality, safety, and efficacy of the SpiN-Tec vaccine and its adjuvant throughout shelf life.