A5039947785- HIV Research and Treatment
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- T-cell and Retrovirus Studies
- Microbial Inactivation Methods
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Computational Drug Discovery Methods
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
- Hepatitis B Virus Studies
- Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
University of South Florida
2011-2021
University of Tampa
2012-2015
Florida College
2000-2011
Moffitt Cancer Center
2008
University of California, San Francisco
2008
University of Pennsylvania
1992-2004
Sewanee: The University of the South
2002
GlaxoSmithKline (United States)
2002
Johns Hopkins University
2001
Kansai Medical University
2001
Recently, immunization techniques in which DNA constructs are introduced directly into mammalian tissue vivo have been developed. In theory, gene inoculation should result the production of antigenic proteins a natural form immunized host. Here we present use such technique for mice with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope construct (pM160). Mice were injected intramuscularly pM160 and subsequently analyzed their anti-HIV immune responses. Antisera collected from inoculated...
Gene-based immunotherapy for cancer is limited by the lack of safe, efficient, reproducible, and titratable delivery methods. Direct injection DNA into tissue, although safer than viral vectors, suffers from low gene transfer efficiency. In vivo electroporation, in preclinical models, significantly enhances efficiency while retaining safety advantages plasmid DNA.A phase I dose escalation trial interleukin (IL)-12 electroporation was carried out patients with metastatic melanoma. Patients...
A DNA-based vaccine containing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) env and rev genes was tested for safety host immune response in 15 asymptomatic HIV-infected patients who were not using antiviral drugs had CD4+ lymphocyte counts of ⩾500 per microliter blood. Successive groups received three doses (30, 100, or 300 µg) at 10-week intervals a dose-escalation trial. Vaccine administration induced no local systemic reactions, laboratory abnormalities detected. Specifically, patient...
A consensus MERS spike protein synthetic DNA vaccine can induce protective responses against viral challenge.
Active immunization against the β-amyloid peptide (Αβ) with vaccines or passive systemic monoclonal anti-Aβ antibodies reduces amyloid deposition and improves cognition in APP transgenic mice. In this report, intracranial administration of anti-Αβ into frontal cortex hippocampus Tg2576 mice is described. The antibody injection resulted initially a broad distribution staining for antibody, which diminished over 7 d. Although no loss immunostaining deposited Aβ was apparent at 4 hr, dramatic...
Abstract Significant concerns have been raised owing to the rapid global spread of infection and disease caused by mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV). Recent studies suggest that ZIKV can also be transmitted sexually, further increasing exposure risk for this virus. Associated with is a dramatic increase in cases microcephaly additional congenital abnormalities infants ZIKV-infected mothers, as well rise occurrence Guillain Barre’ syndrome infected adults. Importantly, there are no licensed...
DNA, or genetic, inoculation mimics aspects of attenuated vaccines in that synthesis specific foreign proteins is accomplished the host. These can be processed and presented on relevant major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens ultimately become subject immune surveillance. Very recently, we have described use new technology to generate responses mice against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1 ) envelope using a gp160 DNA construct. Further analysis this specifically regard HIV...
Vaccination and passive antibody therapies are critical for controlling infectious diseases. Passive administration has limitations, including the necessity purification multiple injections efficacy. is associated with a lag phase before generation of immunity. Novel approaches reported here utilize benefits both methods rapid effective immunity.A novel antibody-based prophylaxis/therapy entailing electroporation-mediated delivery synthetic DNA plasmids encoding biologically active...
The protein α-synuclein (α-Syn) has a central role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and immunotherapeutic approaches targeting this molecule have shown promising results. In study, novel antibodies were generated against specific peptides from full length human α-Syn evaluated for effectiveness ameliorating α-Syn-induced cell death behavioral deficits an AAV-α-Syn expressing rat model PD. Fisher 344 rats injected with rAAV vector into right substantia nigra (SN), while control...
Abstract: An effective immune response involves the specific recognition of and elimination an infectious organism at multiple levels. In this context DNA immunization can present functional antigenic proteins to host for by all arms system, yet provides opportunity delete any genes which code antigens or pieces that may have deleterious effects. Our group has developed use nucleic acid as a possible method vaccination against Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) [1,2,3,10,11,12]....
DNA inoculation has the potential to produce antigens in a native as well host-"customized" form for presentation immune system. As such this technology may have relevance vaccine/immune therapeutic strategies variety of infectious pathogens. In rodents vivo plasmid expression vectors encoding HIV-1 gene products leads production NIV-1 vivo, resulting both cellular and humoral responses. primates only preliminary studies serology been reported. Here we report further evaluation new method...
Humoral and cellular immune responses have been produced by intramuscular vaccination with DNA plasmids expressing HIV-1 genes, suggesting possible immunotherapeutic prophylactic value for these constructs. Vaccination constructs has decreased viral load in HIV-1-infected chimpanzees. In addition, naive (i.e. non-HIV-1-infected) chimpanzees were protected against a heterologous challenge HIV-1. Ongoing phase I clinical trials show that therapeutic vaccinations indeed boost anti-HIV-I humans....
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) could in theory attract antigen-presenting cells muscle following intramuscular DNA immunization, resulting enhanced antigen-specific immune responses. Thus, such adjuvants constitute an important addition to a herpes vaccine by amplifying specific Here we investigate the utility of GM-CSF cDNA as adjuvant for simplex virus (HSV)-2 mouse challenge model. co-injection levels IgG, IgE and IgA against HSV-2 gD protein significantly...
Objective: An effective HIV-1 vaccine will likely need to induce strong cell-mediated immunity in humans. Therefore, we examined the ability of a DNA T-cell response seronegative Design: Individuals were enrolled phase I clinical trial safety and immune responses an env/rev-containing plasmid at doses 100, 300 or 1000 μg. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples analyzed by standard lymphocyte proliferation, cytotoxic T (CTL) ELISPOT techniques. Results: PBMCs from subjects...
There have been several reports on the use of β-amyloid (Aβ ) vaccination in different mouse models Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its effects pathology cognitive function. In this report, histopathologic findings APP+PS1 doubly transgenic were compared after three, five, or nine Aβ inoculations. The number inoculations influenced Congo red levels, microglia activation, anti-Aβ antibody titers. After three inoculations, titer mice was substantially lower than that found nontransgenic animals....
Our recent studies have indicated that galactosyl ceramide (GalCer) or sulfatide (sul) may serve as an alternate receptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in neural cells. In this paper, we describe the mapping of GalCer/sul binding region HIV env glycoprotein gp120. Deglycosylated gp120 binds to GalCer, suggesting amino acids and not carbohydrates are responsible observed binding. Specific regions gp 120 were analyzed by using varying-length truncations expressed Escherichia coli...
DNA or nucleic acid immunization has been shown to induce both antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in vivo. Moreover, induced by can be enhanced modulated the use of molecular adjuvants. To engineer response vivo towards more T-helper (Th)1-type responses, we investigated co-delivery inteferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-18 genes along with vaccine constructs. We observed that through cytokine adjuvants mice. Most this work performed rodent models. There little...
A DNA-based vaccine containing HIV-1 Env and Rev genes was tested for safety host immune response in 15 HIV-infected asymptomatic patients with CD4-positive lymphocyte counts ≥500/μl of blood receiving no antiviral therapy. Successive groups received three doses at 30, 100, or 300 μg 10-week intervals a dose-escalation trial. Some changes were noted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity against gp160-bearing targets. Importantly, enhanced specific proliferative envelope observed multiple patients....
The observation that approximately 70% of HIV-infected pregnant women do not transmit infection vertically suggests antibody therapy may be effective in the prevention transmission HIV from mother to child. Currently, there is an incomplete understanding processes involved vertical infection. elucidation serological basis maternal immunity as it relates protection goal this study. We have screened 20 sera HIV+ individuals known status for reactivity with 31 peptides spanning entire envelope...