Immunology
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus strain. Some studies suggest that COVID-19 could be an immune-related disease, and failure of effective immune responses in initial stages of viral infection could contribute to systemic inflammation and tissue damage, leading to worse disease outcomes. T cells can act as a double-edge sword with both pro- and anti-roles in the progression of COVID-19. ⋯ This review focuses on the multifaceted roles of T cells in COVID-19 pathogenesis and rationalizes their significance in eliciting appropriate antiviral immune responses in COVID-19 patients and unexposed individuals. In addition, we summarize the potential therapeutic approaches related to T cells to treat COVID-19 patients. These include adoptive T-cell therapies, vaccines activating T-cell responses, recombinant cytokines, Th1 activators and Th17 blockers, and potential utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs to improve antiviral T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2.
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Retraction: Emoto, M., Shimizu, T., Koike, H., Yoshizawa, I., Hurwitz, R., Kaufmann, S. H. E. and Emoto, Y. (2010), Dissociated expression of natural killer 1.1 and T-cell receptor by invariant natural killer T cells after interleukin-12 receptor and T-cell receptor signalling. ⋯ The retraction has been agreed following an investigation carried out by Gunma University (http://www.gunma-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/chosakekka29.pdf). The investigation was unable to determine the validity of the images for which Professor Emoto, the article's corresponding author, was responsible. As a result, the journal has made the decision to retract the article.
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Review
The early landscape of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine development in the UK and rest of the world.
Since the first World Health Organization notification on 31 December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been responsible for over four million confirmed infections and almost 300 000 deaths worldwide. The pandemic has led to over half of the world's population living under lockdown conditions. To allow normal life to resume, public health interventions will be needed to prevent further waves of infections as lockdown measures are lifted. ⋯ Following the publication of the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2, vaccine development has accelerated at an unprecedented pace across the world. Here we review the different platforms employed to develop vaccines, the standard timelines of development and how they can be condensed in a pandemic situation. We focus on vaccine development in the UK and vaccines that have entered clinical trials around the world.
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Host-microbiota interaction plays fundamental roles in the homeostasis of mucosal immunity. Dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota has been demonstrated to participate in various immune responses and many multifactorial diseases. Study of intestinal microbiota has moved beyond the consequences of dysbiosis to the causal microbiota associated with diseases. ⋯ Improvement of culture-dependent and -independent techniques has facilitated our understanding of lung microbiota that not only exists in healthy lung tissue but also exerts great impact on immune responses under both physiological and pathological conditions. In this review, we summarize recent progresses of lung microbiota dysbiosis and its impact on the local immune system that determines the balance of tolerance and inflammation. We discuss the causal roles of pulmonary dysbiosis under disease settings, and propose that the interaction between lung microbiota and host is critical for establishing the immune homeostasis in lung.
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Review
Immunotoxicity from checkpoint inhibitor therapy: clinical features and underlying mechanisms.
Immune checkpoint inhibition with monoclonal antibodies is becoming increasingly commonplace in cancer medicine, having contributed to a widening of therapeutic options across oncological indications. Disruption of immune tolerance is the key mechanism of action of checkpoint inhibitors and although immune-related adverse events are a typical class effect of these compounds, the relationship between toxicity and response is not fully understood. Awareness and vigilance are paramount in recognizing potentially life-threatening toxicities and managing them in a timely manner. In this review article, we provide an overview of the clinical features, pathological findings and management principles of common immune-related toxicities, attempting to provide mechanistic insight into an increasingly common complication of cancer therapy.