Pub Date : 2023-07-11DOI: 10.20944/preprints202305.0822.v1
Lucas Fornari Laurindo, Ledyane Taynara Marton, Giulia Minniti, Victória Dogani Rodrigues, Rodrigo Buzinaro Suzuki, Virgínia Maria Cavallari Strozze Catharin, R. Joshi, S. Barbalho
Synthetic antivirals and corticosteroids have been used to treat both influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 disease named COVID-19. However, these medications are not always effective, produce several adverse effects, and are associated with high costs. Medicinal plants and their constituents act on several different targets and signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of influenza and COVID-19. This study aimed to perform a review to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants on influenza and COVID-19, and to investigate the potential delivery systems for new antiviral therapies. EMBASE, PubMed, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, and COCHRANE databases were searched. The studies included in this review showed that medicinal plants, in different formulations, can help to decrease viral spread and the time until full recovery. Plants reduced the incidence of acute respiratory syndromes and the symptom scores of the illnesses. Moreover, plants are related to few adverse effects and have low costs. In addition to their significance as natural antiviral agents, medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds may exhibit low bioavailability. This highlights the need for alternative delivery systems, such as metal nanoparticles, which can effectively transport these compounds to infected tissues.
{"title":"Exploring the Impact of Herbal Therapies on COVID-19 and Influenza: Investigating Novel Delivery Mechanisms for Emerging Interventions","authors":"Lucas Fornari Laurindo, Ledyane Taynara Marton, Giulia Minniti, Victória Dogani Rodrigues, Rodrigo Buzinaro Suzuki, Virgínia Maria Cavallari Strozze Catharin, R. Joshi, S. Barbalho","doi":"10.20944/preprints202305.0822.v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.0822.v1","url":null,"abstract":"Synthetic antivirals and corticosteroids have been used to treat both influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 disease named COVID-19. However, these medications are not always effective, produce several adverse effects, and are associated with high costs. Medicinal plants and their constituents act on several different targets and signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of influenza and COVID-19. This study aimed to perform a review to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants on influenza and COVID-19, and to investigate the potential delivery systems for new antiviral therapies. EMBASE, PubMed, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, and COCHRANE databases were searched. The studies included in this review showed that medicinal plants, in different formulations, can help to decrease viral spread and the time until full recovery. Plants reduced the incidence of acute respiratory syndromes and the symptom scores of the illnesses. Moreover, plants are related to few adverse effects and have low costs. In addition to their significance as natural antiviral agents, medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds may exhibit low bioavailability. This highlights the need for alternative delivery systems, such as metal nanoparticles, which can effectively transport these compounds to infected tissues.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48995189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-09DOI: 10.3390/biologics3020008
A. Khadela, Shruti Soni, Kaivalya Megha, Shivam Bhagat, Vivek P. Chavda
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a catastrophic impact on the world for the past 3 years. The virus has now returned with the emergence of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant. Within two months of its first emergence in South Africa, Omicron became the most dominating SARS-CoV-2 variant around the world, being the cause of the majority of new infections at present. Omicron has presented with the greatest transmission rate of all the previous variants despite the presence of mass vaccinations and acquired immunity. Several monoclonal antibodies and mRNA vaccines have failed to produce desired effects owing to a large number of mutations present in the Omicron variant. The introduction of the booster dose of the present mRNA vaccines has proven to be a great addition to the therapeutic armamentarium against the Omicron variant. Immunocompromised patients including the elderly, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and those with multiple comorbidities have been at a greater risk of developing severe diseases since the pre-Omicron era. The emergence of Omicron again raised a threat against this population. The protection from severe disease and mortality rates through the utilization of multiple immunizations and monoclonal antibodies has been controversial in this subgroup of patients. Thus, designing large-scale studies to evaluate the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines in these patients can provide evidence-based recommendations to improve survival in this population. This article attempts to discuss the different subvariants of Omicron, differences in the mutational aspects along with the particular focus on the consequences of the Omicron infection in the elderly population with diverse comorbidities.
{"title":"A Review on the Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariant on Elderly Patients with Diverse Co-Morbidities","authors":"A. Khadela, Shruti Soni, Kaivalya Megha, Shivam Bhagat, Vivek P. Chavda","doi":"10.3390/biologics3020008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3020008","url":null,"abstract":"The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a catastrophic impact on the world for the past 3 years. The virus has now returned with the emergence of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant. Within two months of its first emergence in South Africa, Omicron became the most dominating SARS-CoV-2 variant around the world, being the cause of the majority of new infections at present. Omicron has presented with the greatest transmission rate of all the previous variants despite the presence of mass vaccinations and acquired immunity. Several monoclonal antibodies and mRNA vaccines have failed to produce desired effects owing to a large number of mutations present in the Omicron variant. The introduction of the booster dose of the present mRNA vaccines has proven to be a great addition to the therapeutic armamentarium against the Omicron variant. Immunocompromised patients including the elderly, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and those with multiple comorbidities have been at a greater risk of developing severe diseases since the pre-Omicron era. The emergence of Omicron again raised a threat against this population. The protection from severe disease and mortality rates through the utilization of multiple immunizations and monoclonal antibodies has been controversial in this subgroup of patients. Thus, designing large-scale studies to evaluate the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines in these patients can provide evidence-based recommendations to improve survival in this population. This article attempts to discuss the different subvariants of Omicron, differences in the mutational aspects along with the particular focus on the consequences of the Omicron infection in the elderly population with diverse comorbidities.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43255981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-11DOI: 10.3390/biologics3020007
Suna Karadeniz Saygılı, A. Szymanowska, G. Lopez-Berestein, Cristian Rodríguez-Aguayo, P. Amero
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to be a major cause of high mortality in the world. Despite many therapeutic approaches having been successfully developed, there is still the need to find novel and more effective therapeutic strategies to face the upcoming variants. Here, we will describe the potential use of aptamers, synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides, as promising tools to target SARS-CoV-2. Since aptamers have been successfully developed against viruses, this review will focus on the latest selection approach method using artificial intelligence, the state-of-the-art in bioinformatics, and we will also summarize the latest discoveries in terms of aptamers against spike protein and other novel receptor proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 entry and the use of single-cell transcriptomics to define novel promising targets for SARS-CoV-2.
{"title":"Aptamers as Insights for Targeting SARS-CoV-2","authors":"Suna Karadeniz Saygılı, A. Szymanowska, G. Lopez-Berestein, Cristian Rodríguez-Aguayo, P. Amero","doi":"10.3390/biologics3020007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3020007","url":null,"abstract":"The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to be a major cause of high mortality in the world. Despite many therapeutic approaches having been successfully developed, there is still the need to find novel and more effective therapeutic strategies to face the upcoming variants. Here, we will describe the potential use of aptamers, synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides, as promising tools to target SARS-CoV-2. Since aptamers have been successfully developed against viruses, this review will focus on the latest selection approach method using artificial intelligence, the state-of-the-art in bioinformatics, and we will also summarize the latest discoveries in terms of aptamers against spike protein and other novel receptor proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 entry and the use of single-cell transcriptomics to define novel promising targets for SARS-CoV-2.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41709763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-27DOI: 10.3390/biologics3020006
M. M. Nicoletti, Erminia Crisci, C. Pentella, Andrea Cantone, Donatella Ruggiero, Antonietta Anatriello, C. Scavone
Background. Although biosimilars have been increasingly used over recent years, some concerns about a potential loss of efficacy and altered safety profile when switching from an originator to a biosimilar still exist. Interchangeability can be a challenge for dermatologists too. An extensive systematic review of published switching studies among originators and biosimilars was carried out in order to provide evidence regarding the effects derived from the switch in terms of efficacy and safety outcomes in real-life contexts. Results. Thirty-seven articles were included in this systematic review (14 studies related to adalimumab, 10 to etanercept, 12 to infliximab, and 1 each to adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab). Studies were mainly carried out among European countries. Most of them were observational studies or register-based studies. The majority of studies enrolled patients diagnosed with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis who underwent a single switch from the originator to the biosimilar. Overall, the studies’ results demonstrated that switching between adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab originators and biosimilars is safe and effective in a real-life setting of patients with dermatological conditions. Only a few studies highlighted an increase in the risk of loss of efficacy as well as an increased rate of AEs, both of which were identified as the main causes of biosimilar discontinuation, probably associated with the well-known phenomenon of the nocebo effect. Conclusion. Switching from a biologic originator to its biosimilar is safe and effective. Only a few studies have evaluated the switch among biosimilars; thus, no firm conclusion can be drawn for this type of switch in terms of the efficacy and safety outcomes. Based on our results, we believe that biosimilars can be considered interchangeable with their reference products and that no additional switch studies are necessary to support switching among originators and biosimilars in clinical practice. However, the continuous monitoring of all biologics (both originators and biosimilars) in routine clinical practice is strongly needed given their peculiar safety profile.
{"title":"Switching between Originators and Biosimilars in Dermatology: A Systematic Review of Real-World Clinical Studies","authors":"M. M. Nicoletti, Erminia Crisci, C. Pentella, Andrea Cantone, Donatella Ruggiero, Antonietta Anatriello, C. Scavone","doi":"10.3390/biologics3020006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3020006","url":null,"abstract":"Background. Although biosimilars have been increasingly used over recent years, some concerns about a potential loss of efficacy and altered safety profile when switching from an originator to a biosimilar still exist. Interchangeability can be a challenge for dermatologists too. An extensive systematic review of published switching studies among originators and biosimilars was carried out in order to provide evidence regarding the effects derived from the switch in terms of efficacy and safety outcomes in real-life contexts. Results. Thirty-seven articles were included in this systematic review (14 studies related to adalimumab, 10 to etanercept, 12 to infliximab, and 1 each to adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab). Studies were mainly carried out among European countries. Most of them were observational studies or register-based studies. The majority of studies enrolled patients diagnosed with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis who underwent a single switch from the originator to the biosimilar. Overall, the studies’ results demonstrated that switching between adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab originators and biosimilars is safe and effective in a real-life setting of patients with dermatological conditions. Only a few studies highlighted an increase in the risk of loss of efficacy as well as an increased rate of AEs, both of which were identified as the main causes of biosimilar discontinuation, probably associated with the well-known phenomenon of the nocebo effect. Conclusion. Switching from a biologic originator to its biosimilar is safe and effective. Only a few studies have evaluated the switch among biosimilars; thus, no firm conclusion can be drawn for this type of switch in terms of the efficacy and safety outcomes. Based on our results, we believe that biosimilars can be considered interchangeable with their reference products and that no additional switch studies are necessary to support switching among originators and biosimilars in clinical practice. However, the continuous monitoring of all biologics (both originators and biosimilars) in routine clinical practice is strongly needed given their peculiar safety profile.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42471941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-19DOI: 10.3390/biologics3020005
Sarfaraz K Niazi, Zamara Mariam
Reinventing approved therapeutic proteins for a new dose, a new formulation, a new route of administration, an improved safety profile, a new indication, or a new conjugate with a drug or a radioactive source is a creative approach to benefit from the billions spent on developing new therapeutic proteins. These new opportunities were created only recently with the arrival of AI/ML tools and high throughput screening technologies. Furthermore, the complex nature of proteins offers mining opportunities that are not possible with chemical drugs; bringing in newer therapies without spending billions makes this path highly lucrative financially while serving the dire needs of humanity. This paper analyzes several practical reinventing approaches and suggests regulatory strategies to reduce development costs significantly. This should enable the entry of hundreds of new therapies at affordable costs.
{"title":"Reinventing Therapeutic Proteins: Mining a Treasure of New Therapies","authors":"Sarfaraz K Niazi, Zamara Mariam","doi":"10.3390/biologics3020005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3020005","url":null,"abstract":"Reinventing approved therapeutic proteins for a new dose, a new formulation, a new route of administration, an improved safety profile, a new indication, or a new conjugate with a drug or a radioactive source is a creative approach to benefit from the billions spent on developing new therapeutic proteins. These new opportunities were created only recently with the arrival of AI/ML tools and high throughput screening technologies. Furthermore, the complex nature of proteins offers mining opportunities that are not possible with chemical drugs; bringing in newer therapies without spending billions makes this path highly lucrative financially while serving the dire needs of humanity. This paper analyzes several practical reinventing approaches and suggests regulatory strategies to reduce development costs significantly. This should enable the entry of hundreds of new therapies at affordable costs.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46124313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-06DOI: 10.3390/biologics3010004
Anjum Khanam, G. Hithamani, J. Naveen, S. R. Pradeep, Susmita Barman, K. Srinivasan
Patients with diabetes often have more invasive infections, which may lead to an increase in morbidity. The hyperglycaemic environment promotes immune dysfunction (such as the deterioration of neutrophil activity, antioxidant system suppression, and compromised innate immunity), micro- and microangiopathies, and neuropathy. A greater number of medical interventions leads to a higher frequency of infections in diabetic patients. Diabetic individuals are susceptible to certain conditions, such as rhino-cerebral mucormycosis or aspergillosis infection. Infections may either be the primary symptom of diabetes mellitus or act as triggers in the intrinsic effects of the disease, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia, in addition to increasing morbidity. A thorough diagnosis of the severity and origin of the infection is necessary for effective treatment, which often entails surgery and extensive antibiotic use. Examining the significant issue of infection in individuals with diabetes is crucial. Comprehensive research should examine why infections are more common amongst diabetics and what the preventive treatment strategies could be.
{"title":"Management of Invasive Infections in Diabetes Mellitus: A Comprehensive Review","authors":"Anjum Khanam, G. Hithamani, J. Naveen, S. R. Pradeep, Susmita Barman, K. Srinivasan","doi":"10.3390/biologics3010004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3010004","url":null,"abstract":"Patients with diabetes often have more invasive infections, which may lead to an increase in morbidity. The hyperglycaemic environment promotes immune dysfunction (such as the deterioration of neutrophil activity, antioxidant system suppression, and compromised innate immunity), micro- and microangiopathies, and neuropathy. A greater number of medical interventions leads to a higher frequency of infections in diabetic patients. Diabetic individuals are susceptible to certain conditions, such as rhino-cerebral mucormycosis or aspergillosis infection. Infections may either be the primary symptom of diabetes mellitus or act as triggers in the intrinsic effects of the disease, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia, in addition to increasing morbidity. A thorough diagnosis of the severity and origin of the infection is necessary for effective treatment, which often entails surgery and extensive antibiotic use. Examining the significant issue of infection in individuals with diabetes is crucial. Comprehensive research should examine why infections are more common amongst diabetics and what the preventive treatment strategies could be.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42075209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-01DOI: 10.3390/biologics3010003
Y. Matsuzaka, R. Yashiro
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neuropathology characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and dementia. The disease is attributed to senile plaques, which are aggregates of amyloid beta (Aβ) outside nerve cells; neurofibrillary tangles, which are filamentous accumulations of phosphorylated tau in nerve cells; and loss of neurons in the brain tissue. Immunization of an AD mouse model with Aβ-eliminated pre-existing senile plaque amyloids and prevented new accumulation. Furthermore, its effect showed that cognitive function can be improved by passive immunity without side effects, such as lymphocyte infiltration in AD model mice treated with vaccine therapy, indicating the possibility of vaccine therapy for AD. Further, considering the possibility of side effects due to direct administration of Aβ, the practical use of the safe oral vaccine, which expressed Aβ in plants, is expected. Indeed, administration of this oral vaccine to Alzheimer’s model mice reduced Aβ accumulation in the brain. Moreover, almost no expression of inflammatory IgG was observed. Therefore, vaccination prior to Aβ accumulation or at an early stage of accumulation may prevent Aβ from causing AD.
{"title":"Novel Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment through Oral Vaccine Therapy with Amyloid Beta","authors":"Y. Matsuzaka, R. Yashiro","doi":"10.3390/biologics3010003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3010003","url":null,"abstract":"Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neuropathology characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and dementia. The disease is attributed to senile plaques, which are aggregates of amyloid beta (Aβ) outside nerve cells; neurofibrillary tangles, which are filamentous accumulations of phosphorylated tau in nerve cells; and loss of neurons in the brain tissue. Immunization of an AD mouse model with Aβ-eliminated pre-existing senile plaque amyloids and prevented new accumulation. Furthermore, its effect showed that cognitive function can be improved by passive immunity without side effects, such as lymphocyte infiltration in AD model mice treated with vaccine therapy, indicating the possibility of vaccine therapy for AD. Further, considering the possibility of side effects due to direct administration of Aβ, the practical use of the safe oral vaccine, which expressed Aβ in plants, is expected. Indeed, administration of this oral vaccine to Alzheimer’s model mice reduced Aβ accumulation in the brain. Moreover, almost no expression of inflammatory IgG was observed. Therefore, vaccination prior to Aβ accumulation or at an early stage of accumulation may prevent Aβ from causing AD.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45222476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-19DOI: 10.3390/biologics3010002
A. Companjen, S. Moore, B. Boulanger, S. Kostense, W. Marissen
Assessment of rabies virus (RABV) neutralizing antibodies in subjects vaccinated or injected with anti-RABV immunoglobulins is central in determination of rabies protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) is used for assessment of anti-RABV activity in serum. The current anti-RABV polyclonal preparations on the market pose difficulties in production and vary in quality. RABV neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are being evaluated as replacements. Different anti-RABV MAbs may neutralize different RABV isolates, thus two or more MAbs directed against different epitopes on the RABV glycoprotein are needed. It is therefore important to ensure neutralizing activity against all RABV isolates in sera of subjects injected with an anti-RABV MAb product consisting of two or more MAbs. The RFFIT, utilizing CVS-11 as challenge virus, cannot discriminate between the activities of different anti-RABV MAbs. We developed and validated two RFFIT methods enabling specific assessment of two different anti-RABV MAbs (CR57 and CR4098) in using two mutant CVS-11 strains resistant to either CR57 or CR4098 neutralization. The validation results demonstrate that both RFFIT assays using MAb resistant RABV are precise, accurate, linear, specific, and stable within the linear range of 0.025 IU/mL to 1.0 IU/mL. This method design can, therefore, be used to determine MAb specific anti-RABV activity in human serum samples.
{"title":"Validation of Adapted Neutralization Assays Developed to Discriminate Anti-Rabies Virus Activity of Two Different Anti-Rabies Virus Monoclonal Antibodies Administered as a Combination","authors":"A. Companjen, S. Moore, B. Boulanger, S. Kostense, W. Marissen","doi":"10.3390/biologics3010002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3010002","url":null,"abstract":"Assessment of rabies virus (RABV) neutralizing antibodies in subjects vaccinated or injected with anti-RABV immunoglobulins is central in determination of rabies protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) is used for assessment of anti-RABV activity in serum. The current anti-RABV polyclonal preparations on the market pose difficulties in production and vary in quality. RABV neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are being evaluated as replacements. Different anti-RABV MAbs may neutralize different RABV isolates, thus two or more MAbs directed against different epitopes on the RABV glycoprotein are needed. It is therefore important to ensure neutralizing activity against all RABV isolates in sera of subjects injected with an anti-RABV MAb product consisting of two or more MAbs. The RFFIT, utilizing CVS-11 as challenge virus, cannot discriminate between the activities of different anti-RABV MAbs. We developed and validated two RFFIT methods enabling specific assessment of two different anti-RABV MAbs (CR57 and CR4098) in using two mutant CVS-11 strains resistant to either CR57 or CR4098 neutralization. The validation results demonstrate that both RFFIT assays using MAb resistant RABV are precise, accurate, linear, specific, and stable within the linear range of 0.025 IU/mL to 1.0 IU/mL. This method design can, therefore, be used to determine MAb specific anti-RABV activity in human serum samples.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48875490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-26DOI: 10.3390/biologics3010001
Gülsüm Deveci, R. Capasso, D. Ağagündüz
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs consisting of a length of roughly 22 nucleotides that participate in gene regulation [...]
微小RNA(miRNA)是一种非编码RNA,由大约22个核苷酸组成,参与基因调控[…]
{"title":"Xeno-miRs and Circulating miRNAs as Novel Biomarkers in Certain Diseases","authors":"Gülsüm Deveci, R. Capasso, D. Ağagündüz","doi":"10.3390/biologics3010001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3010001","url":null,"abstract":"MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs consisting of a length of roughly 22 nucleotides that participate in gene regulation [...]","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41840549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-10-31DOI: 10.3390/biologics2040018
L. Castilho, Nathalia R. Mattos, Wallace S. Abreu, M. Gutarra
Flaviviruses, such as dengue, zika, yellow fever, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis virus, are RNA viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae family (genus Flavivirus). They represent an important global health concern, since most areas of the world are endemic for at least one of these viruses. Although vaccines for five flaviviruses currently exist, there is a need for new vaccines to protect from established, emerging, and reemerging flaviviruses. Yellow fever vaccine shortages experienced in the last decade, combined with the risk of YFV spread to Asia and the restrictions of vaccine administration to certain population segments, show that even when a highly efficacious vaccine is available, new and improved vaccines might be needed. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are multiprotein structures that mimic the virus, but do not contain its genetic material. As such, VLPs have an excellent track record of strong immunogenicity and high safety, dating back to the introduction of the first recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in the 1980s. Flavivirus-like particles (FVLPs) have been extensively studied, especially for DENV, JEV, and ZIKV, and could give rise to next-generation recombinant subunit flavivirus vaccines based on VLPs incorporating molecular features intended to ensure high efficacy and minimize the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) upon infection with other flaviviruses.
{"title":"Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) as Important Tools for Flavivirus Vaccine Development","authors":"L. Castilho, Nathalia R. Mattos, Wallace S. Abreu, M. Gutarra","doi":"10.3390/biologics2040018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics2040018","url":null,"abstract":"Flaviviruses, such as dengue, zika, yellow fever, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis virus, are RNA viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae family (genus Flavivirus). They represent an important global health concern, since most areas of the world are endemic for at least one of these viruses. Although vaccines for five flaviviruses currently exist, there is a need for new vaccines to protect from established, emerging, and reemerging flaviviruses. Yellow fever vaccine shortages experienced in the last decade, combined with the risk of YFV spread to Asia and the restrictions of vaccine administration to certain population segments, show that even when a highly efficacious vaccine is available, new and improved vaccines might be needed. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are multiprotein structures that mimic the virus, but do not contain its genetic material. As such, VLPs have an excellent track record of strong immunogenicity and high safety, dating back to the introduction of the first recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in the 1980s. Flavivirus-like particles (FVLPs) have been extensively studied, especially for DENV, JEV, and ZIKV, and could give rise to next-generation recombinant subunit flavivirus vaccines based on VLPs incorporating molecular features intended to ensure high efficacy and minimize the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) upon infection with other flaviviruses.","PeriodicalId":93526,"journal":{"name":"Biologics (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48365788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}