Nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccination partially overcomes maternal antibody inhibition of de novo immune responses in mice

Modified mRNA vaccine to protect infants against infections

A new study puts researchers within closer reach of vaccines that can protect infants against infections by overcoming a mother's antibodies, which are known to shut down immune defences initiated by conventional vaccines. That hurdle largely explains why vaccinations for infectious diseases like influenza and measles not given until six to 12 months of age. Findings from the preclinical study were published in Science Translational Medicine.

The research team found that a specialized modified-RNA (mRNA) influenza vaccine successfully protected young mice against the infection in the presence of maternal antibodies. The study suggests this protection occurred because the vaccine programs cells to constantly churn out new antigens for a prolonged period of time, rather than delivering a one-time shot of a viral protein.

Science Mission

Defeating HIV in Newborns with a Single Dose of Antibodies

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes HIV infection and over time acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), where it causes progressive failure of the immune system and allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. The average survival time after HIV infection is around 9-11 years without treatment, and current treatments work to slow the progression of the virus in the body.

This new study used rhesus macaque new-borns to investigate the transmission of the monkey form of HIV, called SHIV, from mother to baby. They used a combination of two antibodies called PGT121 and VRC07-523.

A single dose of an antibody-based treatment can prevent HIV transmission from mother to baby, new nonhuman primate research suggests for the first time. The findings are being published in the journal Nature Communications.

When that single dose is given is key, however. The study found rhesus macaque newborns did not develop the monkey form of HIV, called SHIV when they received a combination of two antibodies 30 hours after being exposed to the virus.

Particle size categories for various detrital sedimentary rocks.

Detrital sedimentary rocks are described effectively in terms of compositional, textural, and structural attributes. In the procedure presented, rock-framework types, grain-boundary contacts, cement composition, and bedding characteristics are recorded. Standardized visual comparison charts aid in determining roundness, colour, and percentage distributions of particle composition and size. Quantified descriptions are more useful than field names in comparing stratigraphic sections, analyzing sedimentary parameters, and adapting observations to classifications.

Particle size is the primary basis for distinguishing among various detrital sedimentary rocks. (Breccia photo by E. J. Tarbuck; all other photos by Dennis Tasa)
Engineering geology
Glaeser, J. Douglas. “PROCEDURE FOR DESCRIPTION OF DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS.” Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, vol. 36, 1962, pp. 213–217. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44112152. Accessed 8 Jan. 2020.