Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

A team of researchers at MIT today announced they are working on making mRNA vaccines produce a more robust immune response at a lower dose.

Published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering on September 7, 2023, this study showed how MIT researchers delivered COVID-19 antigen and the antigen to boost the immune response without needing a separate adjuvant.

The researchers’ tests also showed that the vaccine induced a strong immune response when delivered intranasally compared to the response elicited by traditional intramuscular vaccination.

In mice, intramuscular or intranasal administration of nanoparticles with the lead ionizable lipid and with mRNA encoding for the fusion protein (either the spike protein or the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 increased the titres of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 tenfold with respect to the vaccine encoding for the unadjuvanted antigen.

“With intranasal vaccination, you might be able to kill Covid (SARS-CoV-2) at the mucus membrane before it gets into your body,” commented Daniel Anderson, a professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering and the senior author of the study in an MIT News article.

“Intranasal vaccines may also be easier to administer to many people since they don’t require an injection.”

The researchers believe the effectiveness of other types of mRNA vaccines now in development, including vaccines for cancer, could be improved by incorporating similar immune-stimulating properties.

If further developed for use in humans, this type of mRNA vaccine could help to reduce costs, reduce the dosage needed, and potentially lead to longer-lasting immunity, wrote these researchers.

The National Institutes of Health and Translate Bio funded the research.

Three new outbreaks of cholera and/or Acute Watery Diarrhoea were recently reported from Uganda, Sudan, and the Republic of the Congo.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Edition #6, 28 countries have reported cholera cases since the beginning of 2023.  

The WHO African Region remains the most affected region, with 16 countries reporting cholera outbreaks since the beginning of the year.  

As of September 5, 2023, the overall capacity to respond to multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of oral cholera vaccines (OCV).

The WHO has pre-qualified three OCVs for use in 2023.

Based on the large number of outbreaks, their geographic expansion, and a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at the global level as very high.

In the U.S., there are very few cholera cases reported.

While there are no approved human vaccines for Lyme disease, results from a new study show a booster dose can produce a strong immune response in children, adolescents, and adults.

France-based Valneva SE and Pfizer Inc. today announced positive pediatric and adolescent immunogenicity and safety data for their Lyme disease vaccine candidate, VLA15, when given as a booster.

The VLA15-221 Phase 2 clinical trial showed a strong anamnestic antibody response for all serotypes in pediatric (5 to 11 years of age) and adolescent participants (12 to 17 years of age), as well as in adults (18 to 65 years of age), one month after administration of a booster dose (month 19).

Depending on the primary vaccination schedule (month 0-2-6 or month 0-6), participants seroconverted after the booster dose, yielding seroconversion rates of 95.3% and 94.6% for all outer surface protein A (OspA) serotypes in all age groups, respectively.

Additionally, OspA antibody titers were significantly higher one month after the booster dose compared to one month after the primary schedule, with 3.3- to 3.7-fold increases (Geometric Mean Fold Rises) in adults, 2.0- to 2.7-fold increases in adolescents and 2.3- to 2.5-fold increases in children for all serotypes.

“Protection against Lyme disease is important for anyone who lives or spends time outdoors in areas where Lyme disease is endemic. This data from the VLA15-221 study is vital to improve our understanding of how vaccination may help to protect both adults and children from this potentially devastating disease,” commented Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research and Development at Pfizer, in a press release on September 7, 2023.

These results follow six-month antibody persistence data in children and adults reported for the VLA15-221 study in December 20222 and positive immunogenicity and safety data reported in April 20223.

Pfizer aims to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European Medicines Agency in 2026, subject to positive Phase 3 data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced it is preparing for co-circulating influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the 2023-2024 season.

The CDC stated on September 5, 2023, that vaccines can provide life-saving protection against all three viral respiratory diseases.

Furthermore, the CDC recommends these vaccines for older adults, who are at a higher risk of severe illness from these diseases.

For example, the CDC recently published a Health Advisory about increased RSV activity in the Southeastern United States, including Georgia and Florida.

During a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call on September 19, 2023, CDC presenters will provide updates about the latest recommendations and clinical considerations for administering influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines to seniors this year.

This COCA Webinar link is https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1606020154, ID: 160 602 0154, and Passcode: 493303.

According to the CDC, clinicians play a vital role in ensuring that older adults protect themselves by encouraging them to stay up to date on vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced a Health Alert Network Health Advisory CDCHAN-00498 to notify clinicians and caregivers about increased respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in the Southeastern United States.

Historically, such regional increases have predicted the beginning of the RSV season in the U.S.

Across both prepandemic and pandemic years, RSV circulation began in Florida, said the CDC on September 5, 2023.

The Florida Department of Health segmented reports into five RSV regions, each with its own RSV season.

As of week #35, September 2, 2023, Florida's RSV activity had increased admission, positivity, and emergency room rates, but no current outbreaks. 

In anticipation of the onset of the 2023-2024 RSV season, the CDC encourages clinicians to prepare to implement new RSV prevention options.

A new monoclonal antibody product, Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab-alip), protects infants and some young children at higher risk for severe RSV disease. Its availability in the U.S. is expected in October 2023.

Also, two new RSV vaccines are available to protect older adults from severe RSV disease: RSVPreF3 (Arexvy, GSK) or RSVpreF (Abrysvo, Pfizer), based on shared clinical decision-making between the healthcare provider and the patient.

Furthermore, the CDC recommends healthcare personnel, childcare providers, and staff at long-term care facilities should stay home and not go to work when they have a fever or symptoms of respiratory infection to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including RSV.

The epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) in men is less known than in women, according to research in a study published in The Lancet Global Health.

In early September 2023, a group of researchers published a global systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the prevalence of genital HPV infection in the male population.

They identified 5,685 publications from database searches, of which 65 studies were included from 35 countries.

The pooled prevalence was 31% (95% CI 27–35) for any HPV.

And 21% (18–24) for HR-HPV.

HPV-16 was the most prevalent HPV genotype (5%, 95% CI 4–7), followed by HPV-6 (4%, 3–5).

HPV prevalence was high in young adults, reaching a maximum between 25 and 29 years.

Pooled prevalence estimates were similar for the UN Sustainable Development Goal geographical regions of Europe and Northern America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania.

However, the estimates for Eastern and South-Eastern Asia were half that of the other regions.

Our findings show that HPV prevalence is high in men over the age of 15 years and support that sexually active men, regardless of age, are an important reservoir of HPV genital infection, wrote these researchers.

These estimates emphasize the importance of incorporating men in comprehensive HPV prevention strategies to reduce HPV-related morbidity and mortality in men and ultimately eliminate cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases in women.

As of September 5, 2023, there are various HPV vaccines available.

This study was not funded by industry.

As India continues its battle against measles outbreaks, it has accelerated last-mile coverage for measles elimination across the country, reported the World Health Organization (WHO).

The good news is that both measles and rubella can be prevented through vaccination.

India is targeting a vaccination coverage of 95% with two doses of the Measles and Rubella vaccine to achieve measles and rubella elimination by 2023.

To achieve that goal, India is conducting three rounds of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0 under the theme “A big leap towards measles and Rubella Elimination” – with an objective to identify and vaccinate all unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children till five years of age.

Targeted districts in the states of West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Mumbai in Maharashtra vaccinated over 30 million children were vaccinated with the measles and rubella vaccine from November 2022 to May 2023.

India is not alone in confronting measles outbreaks in 2023, The WHO and the U.S. CDC have identified over 30 countries with measurable measles outbreaks this year.

As of early September 2023, the CDC reported 19 measles cases in the U.S., including recent cases in Chicago and Texas.