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Goswami D, Patel H, Betz W, Armstrong J, Camargo N, Patil A, Chakravarty S, Murphy SC, Sim BKL, Vaughan AM, Hoffman SL, Kappe SH. A replication competent Plasmodium falciparum parasite completely attenuated by dual gene deletion. EMBO Mol Med 2024; 16:723-754. [PMID: 38514791 PMCID: PMC11018819 DOI: 10.1038/s44321-024-00057-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Vaccination with infectious Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoites (SPZ) administered with antimalarial drugs (PfSPZ-CVac), confers superior sterilizing protection against infection when compared to vaccination with replication-deficient, radiation-attenuated PfSPZ. However, the requirement for drug administration constitutes a major limitation for PfSPZ-CVac. To obviate this limitation, we generated late liver stage-arresting replication competent (LARC) parasites by deletion of the Mei2 and LINUP genes (mei2-/linup- or LARC2). We show that Plasmodium yoelii (Py) LARC2 sporozoites did not cause breakthrough blood stage infections and engendered durable sterilizing immunity against various infectious sporozoite challenges in diverse strains of mice. We next genetically engineered a PfLARC2 parasite strain that was devoid of extraneous DNA and produced cryopreserved PfSPZ-LARC2. PfSPZ-LARC2 liver stages replicated robustly in liver-humanized mice but displayed severe defects in late liver stage differentiation and did not form liver stage merozoites. This resulted in complete abrogation of parasite transition to viable blood stage infection. Therefore, PfSPZ-LARC2 is the next-generation vaccine strain expected to unite the safety profile of radiation-attenuated PfSPZ with the superior protective efficacy of PfSPZ-CVac.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashree Goswami
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Hardik Patel
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - William Betz
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Janna Armstrong
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Nelly Camargo
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Asha Patil
- Sanaria Inc., 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | | | - Sean C Murphy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - B Kim Lee Sim
- Sanaria Inc., 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Ashley M Vaughan
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Stefan Hi Kappe
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Abeywickrema M, Goodman AL. COVID-19 vaccine results might inform malaria vaccine strategies. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 22:440-441. [PMID: 35219406 PMCID: PMC8871412 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(22)00139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Movin Abeywickrema
- Clinical Research Facility, St Thomas' Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Anna L Goodman
- Department of Infection, St Thomas' Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK,MRC Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, London, UK
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Müller K, Gibbins MP, Roberts M, Reyes‐Sandoval A, Hill AVS, Draper SJ, Matuschewski K, Silvie O, Hafalla JCR. Low immunogenicity of malaria pre-erythrocytic stages can be overcome by vaccination. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e13390. [PMID: 33709544 PMCID: PMC8033512 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202013390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunogenicity is considered one important criterion for progression of candidate vaccines to further clinical evaluation. We tested this assumption in an infection and vaccination model for malaria pre-erythrocytic stages. We engineered Plasmodium berghei parasites that harbour a well-characterised epitope for stimulation of CD8+ T cells, either as an antigen in the sporozoite surface-expressed circumsporozoite protein or the parasitophorous vacuole membrane associated protein upregulated in sporozoites 4 (UIS4) expressed in exo-erythrocytic forms (EEFs). We show that the antigen origin results in profound differences in immunogenicity with a sporozoite antigen eliciting robust, superior antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses, whilst an EEF antigen evokes poor responses. Despite their contrasting immunogenic properties, both sporozoite and EEF antigens gain access to antigen presentation pathways in hepatocytes, as recognition and targeting by vaccine-induced effector CD8+ T cells results in high levels of protection when targeting either antigen. Our study is the first demonstration that poorly immunogenic EEF antigens do not preclude their susceptibility to antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell killing, which has wide-ranging implications on antigen prioritisation for next-generation pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Müller
- Parasitology UnitMax Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlinGermany
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute of BiologyHumboldt UniversityBerlinGermany
| | - Matthew P Gibbins
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
- Present address:
Wellcome Centre for Integrative ParasitologyInstitute of Infection, Immunity and InflammationUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Mark Roberts
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Arturo Reyes‐Sandoval
- Jenner InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Present address:
Instituto Politécnico NacionalIPN. Av. Luis Enrique Erro s/n, Unidad Adolfo López MateosMexico CityMexico
| | | | | | - Kai Matuschewski
- Parasitology UnitMax Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlinGermany
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute of BiologyHumboldt UniversityBerlinGermany
| | - Olivier Silvie
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesCIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Julius Clemence R Hafalla
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
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Abstract
The development of highly effective and durable vaccines against the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax remains a key priority. Decades of endeavor have taught that achieving this goal will be challenging; however, recent innovation in malaria vaccine research and a diverse pipeline of novel vaccine candidates for clinical assessment provides optimism. With first-generation pre-erythrocytic vaccines aiming for licensure in the coming years, it is important to reflect on how next-generation approaches can improve on their success. Here we review the latest vaccine approaches that seek to prevent malaria infection, disease, and transmission and highlight some of the major underlying immunological and molecular mechanisms of protection. The synthesis of rational antigen selection, immunogen design, and immunization strategies to induce quantitatively and qualitatively improved immune effector mechanisms offers promise for achieving sustained high-level protection.
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Silvie O, Amino R, Hafalla JC. Tissue-specific cellular immune responses to malaria pre-erythrocytic stages. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 40:160-167. [PMID: 29217460 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Complete and long-lasting protective immunity against malaria can be achieved through vaccination with invasive live attenuated Plasmodium sporozoites, the motile stage inoculated in the host skin during a mosquito bite. Protective immunity relies primarily on effector CD8+ T cells targeting the parasite in the liver. Understanding the tissue-specific features of the immune response is emerging as a vital requirement for understanding protective immunity. The small parasite inoculum, the scarcity of infected cells and the tolerogenic properties of the liver represent hurdles for the establishment of protective immunity in endemic areas. In this review, we discuss recent advances on liver-specific features of immunity including innate recognition of malaria pre-erythrocytic stages, CD8+ T cell interactions with infected hepatocytes, antigen presentation for effective CD8+ T cell responses and generation of liver-resident memory CD8+ T cells. A better understanding of the factors involved in the induction and maintenance of effector CD8+ T cell immunity against malaria pre-erythrocytic stages is crucial for the development of an effective vaccine targeting the initial phase of malaria infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Silvie
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, U1135, ERL8255, Paris, France.
| | - Rogerio Amino
- Unit of Malaria Infection and Immunity, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Julius Clemence Hafalla
- Immunology and Infection Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom.
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Sacci JB, Hollingdale MR, Sedegah M. Cellular immune response to DNA and vaccinia prime-boost immunization kills Plasmodium yoelii-infected hepatocytes in vitro. Pathog Dis 2017; 75:3798571. [PMID: 28475711 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftx051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmid DNA encoding Plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein (PyCSP) followed by boosting with recombinant vaccinia virus containing the PyCSP elicited significant protective immunity in mice that was primarily mediated by CD8+ T-cell responses directed to P. yoelii -infected hepatocytes. This study was to further explore protection using in vitro cultures of P. yoelii parasites in mouse hepatocytes. Spleen cells from DNA/vaccinia virus-immunized mice were co-cultured in vitro with mouse hepatocytes containing developing P. yoelii liver stage parasites. A semipermeable membrane separating spleen cells and hepatocytes was used to demonstrate if cell-to-cell contact was required. Inhibitors of mediators likely involved in spleen cell killing were added to these co-cultures. Spleen cells from immunized mice inhibited in vitro P. yoelii parasite development, and inhibition was eliminated by separating effectors and targets with the semipermeable membrane. Additionally, inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase, caspase activation, NF-κB activation as well as antibodies against interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and ICAM-1 reduced parasite inhibition. These findings suggest that direct contact between spleen cells from immunized mice and P. yoelii-infected hepatocytes is required for eliminating liver stage parasites and provide more insight into CD8+ T-cell-mediated inhibition of malaria liver stage development.
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Affiliation(s)
- John B Sacci
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | | | - Martha Sedegah
- Malaria Program, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite recent advances, malaria remains a major health threat both to populations in endemic areas as well travelers, including military personnel, to these areas. Subunit vaccines have not yet achieved sufficient efficacy needed for use in any of these at risk populations. Areas covered: This review discusses the current status of various whole sporozoite vaccine approaches and is mainly focused on current clinical trials. Expert commentary: Nearly 100% efficacy was achieved by administering multiple bites of radiation-attenuated sporozoite (RAS) Plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes; this is impractical for widespread use. Now, this high level efficacy has been reproduced using purified, metabolically active RAS (PfSPZ Sanaria® Vaccine), which is undergoing extensive clinical testing. Alternative whole sporozoite vaccines include immunization with fully infectious sporozoites under chloroquine prophylaxis (CPS) or as genetically-attenuated parasites (GAP). By also manufacturing purified infectious sporozoites, it is now possible to combine these with CPS and GAP, as well as perform challenge studies using controlled doses of sporozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martha Sedegah
- a Malaria Department , Naval Medical Research Center , Silver Spring , MD , USA
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Frevert U, Krzych U, Richie TL. Editorial: Breaking the cycle: attacking the malaria parasite in the liver. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:810. [PMID: 26300873 PMCID: PMC4528169 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ute Frevert
- Division of Medical Parasitology, Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA
| | - Urszula Krzych
- Cellular Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Silver Spring, MD, USA
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