Human Leukocyte Antigen News and Research

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Pan-COVID-19 vaccine protects mice against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have identified short peptide sequences in the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are immunogenic in a mouse model and may provide protection against viral variants.

5 May 2021

Class I HLA alleles shape CD8+ T cell repertoire in SARS-CoV-2 infection

An interesting new study discusses how adaptive cellular immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 is dependent on differences in HLA-encoding genes between patients.

3 May 2021

Antiviral T cells safe, effective as off-the-shelf therapy for painful complication after stem cell transplants

A Phase II trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that BK virus (BKV)-specific T cells from healthy donors were safe and effective as an off-the-shelf therapy for BKV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC), a painful complication common after allogeneic stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia or lymphoma.

30 Apr 2021

Peptide nucleocapsid vaccine candidate elicits protective T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A new study describes a synthetic peptide used as a platform to generate protective adaptive cellular immunity to the virus in rhesus macaques, which are the gold standard for preclinical testing in humans.

28 Apr 2021

L452R and Y453F SARS-CoV-2 mutations increase transmission and evade immunity

Mutations from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have created multiple variants. Some variants, such as those found in South Africa and Brazil, have caused concern for their potential to evade the immune response. While vaccination efforts are underway, the world is racing against the viruses’ ability to evolve under selective pressure.

11 Apr 2021

Which SARS-CoV-2 spike mutants can evade T cell immunity?

A new study reports the capability of a new variant of the virus to escape specific cellular immunity, while possessing a higher binding affinity to the host cell binding receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

7 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant may potentially escape T cell-mediated host immune responses

A team of scientists from Brazil recently explored the abilities of the UK, South African, and Brazilian variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to evade host CD8+ T cell responses induced by natural infection or vaccination. The findings reveal reduced antigenic coverage for the P.2 Brazilian lineage, indicating its ability to evade SARS-CoV-2-induced T cell responses.

16 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2-derived mutant peptides hamper T cells' ability to recognize and destroy infected cells

A deep sequencing study of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates has revealed mutant peptides derived from the virus that cannot effectively bind to critical proteins on the surface of infected cells and, in turn, hamper activation of CD8+ killer T cells that recognize and destroy these infected cells.

4 Mar 2021

HSE researchers discover genetic predisposition to COVID-19 severity

HSE University researchers have become the first in the world to discover genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

23 Feb 2021

Study explains why people of African descent are less likely to find bone marrow donors

A paper by a multidisciplinary team of scientists affiliated with various Brazilian institutions, including the University of São Paulo (USP) and the National Cancer Institute (INCA), shows that people of African descent are less likely to find a donor in the National Register of Voluntary Bone Marrow Donors (REDOME) than people with predominantly European ancestry.

1 Feb 2021

Anakinra shows therapeutic potential in critically ill COVID-19 patients

A team of international scientists recently conducted an open-level clinical trial to investigate the effects of personalized immunotherapy on critically ill COVID-19 patients.

27 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations may evade T cell immunity

A potentially disturbing new study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may be undergoing strategic mutations that affect the host immune capacity to recognize and combat the pathogen via T effector cells.

23 Dec 2020

Epitope “megapools” could help determine role T cell immunity plays in COVID-19

Researchers in the United States and Australia have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the epitope recognition patterns associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in humans.

14 Dec 2020

Reverse phenotyping shows reactive T cell profiles in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study appearing as a preprint on the medRxiv* browser in December 2020 employs reverse phenotyping technology to explore T cell responses in COVID-19.

10 Dec 2020

BCG vaccination appears to trigger cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response

Recently, researchers from the Monash University and Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, investigated whether peptide sensitization using BCG can produce cross-reactive T cells specific to SARS-CoV-2. Their study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.

24 Nov 2020

Lonza provides expansive selection of high-resolution HLA-typed primary cells to boost drug development

Lonza has announced that it now provides an expansive selection of high-resolution Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-typed primary cells spanning all major cell and tissue types.

From Lonza 20 Nov 2020

Exciting findings on CD8 T cell response in recovered COVID patients

An international team of scientists has identified novel T cell-recognized epitopes spanning different proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in COVID-19 recovered patients. The scientists have also revealed phenotypical characteristics of the T cell population.

11 Oct 2020

New findings could improve investigation of T cell response to COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have made an important discovery about the processing and presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral peptides that provides a better understanding of the immune response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may help facilitate the design of improved vaccines.

5 Oct 2020

Neo-self antibody could be a major cause of recurrent pregnancy loss

A research group centered around Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine's Professor YAMADA Hideto and Associate Professor TANIMURA Kenji (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology), and Professor ARASE Hisashi et al. of Osaka University's Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD) have revealed for the first time in the world the high frequency of a novel autoantibody in women suffering from recurrent pregnancy loss.

23 Jul 2020

Berkeley Lights announces Opto™ antigen-presenting bead kit to accelerate the expansion of antigen-specific T cells used to develop cell-based therapies

Berkeley Lights, Inc. today announced the Opto Antigen-Presenting Bead kit, a new reagent kit that activates and expands antigen-specific T cells in blood.

From Bruker Cellular Analysis 25 Jun 2020