Vaccination in PADs

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in primary antibody deficiencies: an overview on efficacy, immunogenicity, durability of immune response and safety

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to summarize the current best knowledge on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in vulnerable patients affected by primary antibody deficiencies (PADs), both in patients previously infected and vaccine-immunized, focusing also on the durability, on the need for multiple booster doses and on the safety of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patients vaccinated for SARS-CoV2 have variable humoral response, still showing a tendency towards an increase in antibody titers, with factors such as booster doses, previous infections, age and specific genetic mutations influencing the outcome. Long-lasting cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination instead, mostly of the T-cell type, have been observed. Overall, the duration of protection given by vaccinations is sufficient and increased upon further simulations. Furthermore, the safety profile in PID patients is excellent, with most adverse events being transient and mild and no major adverse event reported.

SUMMARY

Several studies have emphasized the benefit of vaccinating patients with PADs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the necessity of administering booster doses. This review, by gathering the most recent and significant data from the scientific literature, could be helpful in clinical practice in the management of disease prevention in patients affected by primary immunodeficiency and also serve as inspiration for further in-depth clinical research.

Cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with primary antibody deficiencies

Introduction

Primary antibody deficiencies (PAD) are inborn defects of the immune system that result in increased susceptibility to infections. Despite the reduced response to vaccination, PAD patients still benefit from it by reducing the risk of severe infections and complications. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are recommended in PAD patients, but their immune effects are poorly studied. Here, we analyze virus-specific T-cell responses in PAD patients after booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Patients and methods

The study included 57 adult PAD patients on long-term immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) diagnosed with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA; n = 4), common variable immunodeficiency (CVID; n = 33), isotype defects or IgG subclass deficiency (n = 6), and unclassified IgG deficiency (n = 14). Of those, 49 patients (86%) received vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 using mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech). T-cell responses were assessed at a median of 21 (13 - 30) weeks after the booster dose (mainly the third dose) using commercially available interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike S1 protein.

Results

Vaccinated PAD patients showed an increased (3.8-fold, p = 0.004) release of IFN-γ upon S1 stimulation. In this group, we also documented higher serum levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG (4.1-fold, p = 0.01), although they were not associated with IGRA results. Further subgroup analysis revealed very similar IGRA responses in CVID and unclassified IgG deficiencies that were 2.4-fold increased compared to XLA and 5.4-fold increased compared to patients with isotype defects or IgG subclass deficiencies (e.g., vs. CVID: p = 0.016). As expected, CVID and XLA patients showed decreased serum titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared to other studied groups (e.g., CVID vs. unclassified IgG deficiency: 4.4-fold, p = 0.006). The results did not depend directly on IgRT mode or dose, number of vaccine doses and time from the last booster dose, and clinical manifestations of PAD. Interestingly, anti-SARS-CoV-2 titers were positively correlated with serum immunoglobulin levels before IgRT (e.g., for IgA: r = 0.45, p<0.001; for IgG: r = 0.34, p = 0.009) and the percentage of peripheral blood NK cells (r = 0.48, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Our results documented satisfactory in vitro cellular immune response in PAD patients after booster SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Therefore, even patients with agammaglobulinemia should benefit from vaccination due to the apparent induction of cell-mediated immunity, which, together with IgRT, grants comprehensive protection against the pathogen.

Proceedings of the Online Conference "Vaccines and Vaccination during and Post COVID Pandemics" (7-9 December 2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic put focus on various aspects of vaccine research and development. These include mass vaccination strategies, vaccination compliance and hesitancy, acceptance of novel vaccine approaches, preclinical and animal models used to assess vaccine safety and efficacy, and many other related issues. These issues were addressed by the international online conference "Vaccines and Vaccination During and Post COVID Pandemics" (VAC&VAC 2022) held on the platform of Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. Conference was supported by the International Society for Vaccines, the National Cancer Institute "Fondazione Pascale" (Naples, Italy), and the scientific journal VACCINES (mdpi). VAC&VAC 2022 attracted nearly 150 participants from 14 countries. This report summarizes conference presentations and their discussion. Sessions covered the topics of (1) COVID-19 vaccine development, evaluation, and attitude towards these vaccines, (2) HPV and cancer vaccines, (3) progress and challenges of HIV vaccine development, (4) new and re-emerging infectious threats, and (5) novel vaccine vehicles, adjuvants, and carriers. Each session was introduced by a plenary lecture from renowned experts from leading research institutions worldwide. The conference also included sessions on research funding and grant writing and an early career researcher contest in which the winners received monetary awards and a chance to publish their results free of charge in the special issue of VACCINES covering the meeting.

Response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in three XLA patients

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is an inborn error of immunity characterized by insufficient production of immunoglobulins and lack of measurable antibody response to vaccines. The rise of novel infections limits the protective effect of immunoglobulin replacement in immunodeficient patients though. While XLA patients are not expected to mount an antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination, it has been demonstrated that XLA patients can mount a T-cell response to COVID-19 vaccines, similar to the influenza vaccine. We present three patients with XLA who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. One patient demonstrated positive antibody response. Many XLA patients do not receive routine vaccinations due to ongoing immunoglobulin replacement therapy and lack of native antibody production, but in addition to T-cell response to vaccination, select XLA patients may mount a positive antibody response. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccination should be encouraged for all XLA patients.

Specific Antibody and the T-Cell Response Elicited by BNT162b2 Boosting After Two ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients have markedly decreased immune response to vaccinations. In this study we evaluated humoral and T cell-mediated responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) with additional flow cytometric changes in CVID patients receiving booster vaccination with BNT162b2 after two ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. The BNT162b2 vaccine raised the anti-spike protein S immunoglobulin G over the cut-off value from 70% to 83% in CVID, anti-neutralizing antibody had been raised over a cut-off value from 70% to 80% but levels after boosting were significantly less in both tests than in healthy controls (*p=0.02; **p=0.009 respectively). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin A became less positive in CVID after boosting, but the difference was not significant. The cumulative interferon-γ positive T cell response by ELISpot was over the cut-off value in 53% of the tested individuals and raised to 83% after boosting. This and flow cytometric control of cumulative CD4+ and CD8+ virus-specific T cell absolute counts in CVID were also statistically not different from healthy individuals after boosting. Additional flow cytometric measures for CD45+ lymphocytes, CD3+, and CD19+ cells have not shown significant differences from controls except for lower CD4+T cell counts at both time points (**p=0.003; **p=0.002), in parallel CD4+ virus-specific T-cell ratio was significantly lower in CVID patients at the first time point (*p: 0.03). After boosting, in more than 33% of both CVID patients and also in their healthy controls we detected a decrease in absolute CD45+, CD3+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+, CD19+, and CD16+56+ cell counts. CD16+CD56+ cell counts were significantly lower compared to controls before and after boosting (*p=0.02, *p=0.02). CVID patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy throughout the previous year or autologous stem cell transplantation two years before vaccination had worse responses in anti-spike, anti-neutralizing antibody, CD3+CD4+T, CD19+ B, and natural killer cell counts than the whole CVID group. Vaccinations had few side effects. Based on these data, CVID patients receiving booster vaccination with BNT162b2 after two ChadOx1 can effectively elevate the levels of protection against COVID-19 infection, but the duration of the immune response together with COVID-19 morbidity data needs further investigation among these patients.

Elevated CD21low B Cell Frequency Is a Marker of Poor Immunity to Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2 in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

PURPOSE

Limited data is available on the effect of COVID-19 vaccination in immunocompromised individuals. Here, we provide the results from vaccinating a single-center cohort of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID).

METHODS

In a prospective, open-label clinical trial, 50 patients with CVID and 90 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody (Ab) production after one or two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Additionally, in selected patients, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T-cells were assessed.

RESULTS

A potent vaccine-induced anti-spike-specific IgG Ab response was observed in all the HC. In contrast, only 68.3% of the CVID patients seroconverted, with median titers of specific Ab being 83-fold lower than in HC. In fact, only 4/46 patients (8.6%) of patients who were seronegative at baseline reached the threshold for an optimal response (250 U/mL). Using the EUROclass definition, patients with either a reduced proportion, but not absolute counts, of switched memory B-cells or having an increased frequency of CD21low B-cells generally generated poor vaccine responses. Overall, CVID-patients had reduced spike-specific IFN-γ positive CD4+ T cell responses 2 weeks after the second dose, compared to HC. The total CD4 and CD4 central memory cell counts correlated with humoral immunity to the vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS

CVID patients with low frequency of switched memory B-cells or an increased frequency of CD21low B-cells according to the EUROclass definition demonstrated poor responses to Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination. Cellular immune responses were significantly affected, affirming that the defect in CVID is not limited to humoral immunity.

The Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination: Insights Learned From Adult Patients With Common Variable Immune Deficiency

CVID patients have an increased susceptibility to vaccine-preventable infections. The question on the potential benefits of immunization of CVID patients against SARS-CoV-2 offered the possibility to analyze the defective mechanisms of immune responses to a novel antigen. In CVID, as in immunocompetent subjects, the role of B and T cells is different between infected and vaccinated individuals. Upon vaccination, variable anti-Spike IgG responses have been found in different CVID cohorts. Immunization with two doses of mRNA vaccine did not generate Spike-specific classical memory B cells (MBCs) but atypical memory B cells (ATM) with low binding capacity to Spike protein. Spike-specific T-cells responses were also induced in CVID patients with a variable frequency, differently from specific T cells produced after multiple exposures to viral antigens following influenza virus immunization and infection. The immune response elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection was enhanced by subsequent immunization underlying the need to immunize convalescent COVID-19 CVID patients after recovery. In particular, immunization after SARS-Cov-2 infection generated Spike-specific classical memory B cells (MBCs) with low binding capacity to Spike protein and Spike-specific antibodies in a high percentage of CVID patients. The search for a strategy to elicit an adequate immune response post-vaccination in CVID patients is necessary. Since reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 has been documented, at present SARS-CoV-2 positive CVID patients might benefit from new preventing strategy based on administration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal Human Antibodies That Recognise the Exposed N and C Terminal Regions of the Often-Overlooked SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a Transmembrane Protein

ORF3a has been identified as a viroporin of SARS-CoV-2 and is known to be involved in various pathophysiological activities including disturbance of cellular calcium homeostasis, inflammasome activation, apoptosis induction and disruption of autophagy. ORF3a-targeting antibodies may specifically and favorably modulate these viroporin-dependent pathological activities. However, suitable viroporin-targeting antibodies are difficult to generate because of the well-recognized technical challenge associated with isolating antibodies to complex transmembrane proteins. Here we exploited a naïve human single chain antibody phage display library, to isolate binders against carefully chosen ORF3a recombinant epitopes located towards the extracellular N terminal and cytosolic C terminal domains of the protein using peptide antigens. These binders were subjected to further characterization using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and surface plasmon resonance analysis to assess their binding affinities to the target epitopes. Binding to full-length ORF3a protein was evaluated by western blot and fluorescent microscopy using ORF3a transfected cells and SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Co-localization analysis was also performed to evaluate the "pairing potential" of the selected binders as possible alternative diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for COVID-19 infections. Both ORF3a N and C termini, epitope-specific monoclonal antibodies were identified in our study. Whilst the linear nature of peptides might not always represent their native conformations in the context of full protein, with carefully designed selection protocols, we have been successful in isolating anti-ORF3a binders capable of recognising regions of the transmembrane protein that are exposed either on the "inside" or "outside" of the infected cell. Their therapeutic potential will be discussed.