Global Health Press

A large team of microbiologists, pathologists and infectious diseases specialists affiliated with several institutions in the U.S., including University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Polytechnique Montréal, Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc., has developed an #mRNA #vaccine that has thus far been found able to protect mice against intestinal #Clostridioidesdifficile bacterial #infection. https://lnkd.in/eJyuxcyx In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they used mRNA technology to design a multipronged vaccine to target several proteins that are needed by the bacteria to cause gut ailments and how well it has done in testing with mouse models. Prior research has found that patients in hospitals who are given antibiotics to treat various infections are left with vulnerable bowels after the good bacteria in their gut is destroyed. This leaves them open to bacterial infections such as #Cdifficile, which infects the gut and releases toxins that cause a variety of ailments including #diarrhea, severe cramping and in some cases death due to #sepsis. https://lnkd.in/eJyuxcyx Medical researchers have been looking for ways to combat these bacteria, but thus far, the microbes have been able to evolve faster than the drugs used to kill them. In this new effort, the researchers used lessons learned from research involved in developing vaccines for the virus that causes COVID-19 to develop one that could effectively fight C. difficile—at least in mouse models. The messenger RNA (mRNA) in vaccines used to fight #COVID19 involves getting human #Tcells to create proteins that indirectly interrupt the virus's ability to attach to the cells they are trying to infect. The research team used mRNA to get multiple components of the immune system (immunoglobulins, T cells and antibodies) to produce several types of proteins that could be used to fight C. difficile during different parts of its life cycle, ensuring that it could be effective in eliminating the bacteria from a host. In testing their vaccine, the researchers found it to be very effective—all the mouse models given normally lethal doses of C. difficile recovered, while those in a control group all died. The researchers note that like other mRNA-based vaccines, theirs does not prevent an infection, it instead gives the immune system the means to fight it effectively. https://lnkd.in/eJyuxcyx More information: Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh et al, A multivalent mRNA-LNP vaccine protects against Clostridioides difficile infection, Science (2024). https://lnkd.in/eTnTdF42

Hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of #livercancer associated with #hepatitis infections, is known to have a high recurrence rate after #cancer removal. Recent advances in antiviral therapy have reduced the number of patients affected, but #obesity and #diabetes are factors in #hepatocellularcarcinoma prevalence. However, these factors' effects on patient survival and cancer recurrence have been unclear. https://lnkd.in/ek34QnPw To gain insights, the research team of Dr. Hiroji Shinkawa at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Medicine analyzed the relationship between #diabetesmellitus, obesity, and postoperative outcomes in 1,644 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver resection. The results, published in Liver Cancer, revealed that the risk of recurrence after two years postoperatively was approximately 1.5 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 1.3 times higher in the case of diabetes mellitus. In addition, the risk of recurrence after five years postoperatively was 3.8 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 2.0 times higher in the case of comorbid diabetes alone. https://lnkd.in/ek34QnPw More information: Hiroji Shinkawa et al, Impact of Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity Comorbidities on Survival Outcomes after Hepatocellular Carcinoma Resection: A Multicenter Retrospective Study, Liver Cancer (2024). https://lnkd.in/eNB_aU8Y

A Cleveland Clinic-led research collaboration between Timothy Chan, MD, Ph.D., Chair of Cleveland Clinic's Global Center for Immunotherapy, and Bristol Myers Squibb has published the most comprehensive overview to date of how the immune system reshapes #tumor architecture in response to #immunecheckpoint therapy. https://lnkd.in/esytUuMw The eight-year study, published in Nature Medicine, outlines how #cancerimmunotherapy induces tumor recognition through neoantigens to reshape the tumor ecosystem. Neoantigens are small peptides produced when cancer cells mutate and are a primary marker for the immune system to recognize cancer cells as different from self. https://lnkd.in/esytUuMw Scientists like Dr. Chan have begun to untangle the complex relationships among treatment, immunity and cancer in the past 15 years—but human data is in short supply. The CheckMate-153 trial was overseen by pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb and Dr. Chan's team was a central site for the trial's analysis. Within the primary trial, investigators included a #biomarker sub-study to identify how neoantigens drive response to nivolumab by sampling patients' tumors pre-therapy and 3 weeks post-therapy. From these tumor samples, sequencing was used to identify mutations that create neoantigens. Neoantigens are thought to be the primary way that the immune system recognizes tumors, but neoantigen prediction tools lack accuracy due to a lack of existing data in this space. To overcome this issue, the team developed the largest neoantigen screen to date, where they validated their predictions and monitored the dynamic response to neoantigens with longitudinal blood draws. Within three weeks of treatment, people who went on to respond well to nivolumab had a sharp decline in clonal neoantigens. Meanwhile, individuals whose cancer did not go into remission still mounted an immunologic response, but to smaller sub-clonal populations. This is important because many believed that non-responders were unable to activate and recognize the tumor, but here they show it may be that the immune system is mounting a response to neoantigens but that this is insufficient to destroy all tumor clones. Current neoantigen prediction tools rely heavily on HLA-binding neoantigens, but they are missing the #Tcell recognition aspect of immunogenicity, says Cleveland Clinic's co-first author Tyler Alban Ph.D., Project Staff in the Chan Lab. Dr. Alban, data scientist Prerana Parthasarathy, and others on the team developed a #machinelearning program that uses the new screening data to better predict immunogenic neoantigens. More information: Tyler J. Alban et al, Neoantigen immunogenicity landscapes and evolution of tumor ecosystems during immunotherapy with nivolumab, Nature Medicine (2024). https://lnkd.in/e7RZWK7U

In a monumental achievement for #publichealth, the World Health Organization (WHO) has validated the elimination of #trachoma as a public health problem in #Pakistan. Trachoma is a disease caused by infection by the #Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium and can result in irreversible blindness if left untreated. Pakistan becomes the 19th country globally to reach this historic milestone. Its success in doing so underscores the Government of Pakistan’s political commitment to public health, the value of WHO technical support and the incredible contributions of health professionals, endemic communities, civil society and partners like Sightsavers, CBM Christian Blind Mission and The Fred Hollows Foundation. The achievement is a significant marker in the global fight against preventable diseases and their elimination. https://lnkd.in/eMwC6K_M “Elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Pakistan is a monumental achievement for the country and for the global fight against the disease,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This milestone is a testament to the unwavering dedication of Pakistan’s health workers, including many working at community level. It underscores the power of collective action, innovative thinking and a shared commitment to a healthier future for all. I commend Pakistan for its dedication and success in safeguarding the vision of millions.” https://lnkd.in/eMwC6K_M In 1997, Pakistan was the first country to be certified free of #dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) transmission. Elimination of trachoma as a public health problem adds to this legacy. This latest success is not the end but a precursor to more milestone achievements along the road. WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy underlined the significance of the achievement: "Congratulations to Pakistan on the elimination of trachoma. Now Pakistan has eliminated two neglected tropical diseases, demonstrating the country’s dedication to public health and serving as an inspiration to all." Pakistan’s success highlights the effectiveness of the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy for eliminating trachoma, which includes Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics to clear infection, and Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement to reduce transmission.

📣Registration is Now Open📣   GHIT R&D Forum 2024 will take place in person on December 5th, 2024, in Tokyo for the first time in five years.   This year, we are pleased to include speakers from both within and beyond our network of current GHIT development partners, providing an excellent opportunity for active exchange and networking with a variety of new and existing partners with expertise in local needs, manufacturing, and technologies. We expect to host participants from NGOs and academia as well as industry executives, researchers, and government officials. Proceedings will be conducted in English.   GHIT R&D Forum 2024 will also provide opportunities for booth exhibition and networking sessions. We hope you will be able to join us and look forward to seeing you in Tokyo in December.   Seats are limited and register now! https://lnkd.in/gnyHTjUM   Date & Time : December 5th, 2024,  9:45 - 18:30 Venue : Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioi Conference（Tokyo, JAPAN） Format : In-person sessions Entry Fee : Free Language : English Capacity : 120 people Registration : Pre-registration is required 📣参加登録受付開始📣   2024年12月5日、都内にて、5年ぶりとなる「GHIT R&D Forum 2024」を対面で開催いたします。   今回は、GHITが有する製品開発パートナーのネットワーク内外からスピーカーをお招きし、現場のニーズや、製造、技術などに精通したさまざまなパートナーとの活発な議論とネットワーキングの場を提供いたします。対象は、NGO、アカデミア、企業、研究者、政府関係者など、幅広くご興味のある方のご参加をお待ちしております。会議は英語で行われます。   また、各団体の取り組みを紹介する展示ブースやネットワーキングの機会も設ける予定です。   参加受付は先着順となりますので、是非お早めにご登録ください。 https://lnkd.in/gnyHTjUM   日時       : 2024年12月5日（木）9:45 - 18:30 会場       : 東京ガーデンテラス　紀尾井カンファレンス 形式       : 対面開催 参加費    : 無料 言語       : 英語（同時通訳あり） 定員       : 120名 参加登録： 事前参加申し込み必須

A 25-year-old woman with #type1diabetes started producing her own #insulin less than three months after receiving a #transplant of reprogrammed #stemcells. She is the first person with the disease to be treated using cells that were extracted from her own body. https://lnkd.in/eh9BDqu4 The study, published in Cell, follows results from a separate group in Shanghai, China, who reported in April that they had successfully transplanted insulin-producing islets into the #liver of a 59-year-old man with #type2diabetes. The islets were also derived from reprogrammed stem cells taken from the man’s own body and he has since stopped taking insulin. https://lnkd.in/eh9BDqu4 The studies are among a handful of pioneering trials using stem cells to treat #diabetes, which affects close to half a billion people worldwide. Most of them have type 2 diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin or its ability to use the hormone diminishes. In type 1 diabetes, the #immunesystem attacks islet cells in the #pancreas. Islet transplants can treat the disease, but there aren’t enough donors to meet the growing demand, and recipients must use immune-suppressing drugs to prevent the body from rejecting the donor tissue. Stem cells can be used to grow any tissue in the body and can be cultured indefinitely in the laboratory, which means they potentially offer a limitless source of pancreatic tissue. By using tissue made from a person’s own cells, researchers also hope to avoid the need for immunosuppressants.