16^th International Conference on European Immunology May 02-03, 2022 Zurich, Switzerland

Biography:

Jianqing Xu, Professor at Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences and Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University. Director of the Shanghai Institute of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases and Director of the School of Translational Medicines at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University. He mainly engaged in immunology, immunotherapy and vaccinology research. He is the chief scientist of the National Science and Technology Major Special Project, the leader of the Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the NSFC-NIH Cooperation Project. He has published 176 papers in Nature, Science, Nature Microbiology, PNAS, Nat Commun, EClinicalMedicine, Clin Infect Dis, Neurology, Biomaterials, eLife, mBio, J Infect Dis, J Immunol, AIDS, Front Immunol, J Virol , etc.

Abstract:

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic posed a severe global threat of respiratory virus infections on public health, as do so by influenza viruses and other coronaviruses. The currently envisioned strategy for prevention requires comprehensive administration of vaccines tailored for individual virus. Here we present an alternative strategy by designing chimpanzee adenovirus 68 (AdC68)-based multi-immunogen vaccines universally targeting different coronaviruses and influenza viruses. The first version constructed features a fusion immunogen comprising SARS- CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), conserved stalk of H7N9 hemagglutinin (HA) and human ferritin. Its administration in mice induced neutralizing antibodies against wild-complemented with high- immunogenicity peptide from divergent coronaviruses. The broad spectrum of this improved version was demonstrated by affording protection from SHC014 attack, a bat SARS-like coronaviruses, in mouse model. Also, in order to broaden the influenza virus coverage, we constructed vaccine comprising conserved stalk of H7N9 HA and H1N1 HA. These results together support the promise of our AdC68 vectored pan- coronavirus-influenza virus vaccine and warrant its future exploration as a more effective approach toward curbing respiratory virus-causing pandemics.

Biography:

Bin Qu studied Biology at the University of Science and Technology of China and completed her M.Sc. at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS, China. She got her Ph.D. (summa cum laude) at Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Saarland University in 2010, and continued as a postdoc researcher. Since 2013, she has been an independent group leader (tenured since 2018) at Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University. Her research is focused on underlying mechanisms to regulate killing efficiency of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells by three-dimensional matrices and by high glucose.

Abstract:

Under physiological conditions, immune cells encounter complex and dynamic three dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of fibrous mesh networks. Concerning immune surveillance, interaction of ECM with immune cells plays an essential role in tuning the final outcome. In solid tumors, dense extracellular matrix (ECM) serves as physical barriers to hinder infiltration and dampen functions of CTLs, leading to rather disappointing efficacy of cytotoxic T cell (CTL)-based adoptive immunotherapy in solid tumors compared to its big success in liquid tumors. Using primary human CTLs, we have analyzed how dense ECM shape killing efficiency of CTLs and found that their killing efficiency in dense collagen matrices is decreased via impaired migration in 3D. Two physical properties of ECM including the pore size and stiffness modulate CTL migration. The microtubule-network is a negative regulator for CTL migration in dense collagen matrices. Perturbing microtubule integrity by nocodazole or vinblastine (a chemotherapeutic agent) substantially enhanced killing efficiency of CTLs in dense matrices (Ref 1). Meanwhile, we have analyzed migration trajectories of primary human CTLs in collagen matrix using mathematical modeling and revealed three migration modes of CTLs in 3D: slow, fast and mixed. CTLs tend to squeeze into existing channels in collagen matrices or push aside collagen fibers to create channels in the matrix. Other T cells can then use these channels and move much faster through the matrix (Ref 2). This observation was also confirmed by our recently established label free light-sheet scattering microscopy (LSSM), which is a robust approach for long-term visualization of ECM-cell interaction without blind spot and photobleaching (Ref 3). In summary, our results suggest the microtubule network as a promising target to enhance killing efficiency of CTLs in a context of solid tumor, and reducing stiffness of ECM in tumor microenvironment could benefit efficiency of CTL immune surveillance.

Biography:

Yakob Gebregziabher Tsegay currently working in the Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology at University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Abstract:

Introduction: COVID-19 is public health pandemic in the globe going on currently. Alteration of hematological parameters in patients confirmed with COVID-19 pandemic is evolving as an important feature of disease progression and classification. Hence, this study aims to identify hematological parameters and related risk factors in patients with COVID-19 Pandemic at Millennium COVID-19 Treatment and Care Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods and Materials: This study is prospective Cohort included patients with COVID-19 Pandemic admitted at Millennium COVID-19 Treatment and Care Center an emergency Center of the Capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Socio-demographic, Clinical, Treatment, Hematology Laboratory and patient outcome data were collected using standard questionnaire and compared between patients with Mild, Moderate, Severe and Critical disease defined according to COVID-19 Clinical Management Pocket book, published by Ministry of Health Ethiopia and Ethiopian Public Health Institute jointly on June 2020. This study assessed the risk factors associated with clinical illness and poor progression. Vital hematological and coagulation factors were investigated with linear mixed model, and Coagulation Screening with sepsis induced coagulopathy and with international Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis Evident Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Scoring system were applied.