vaccines

vaccines

vaccines

Recombinant shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of dementia

After the introduction of a shingles vaccine (Zostavax) in 2006, several studies suggested that the risk of dementia might be lower in people who had received the vaccine, although the results were inconclusive. In many countries Zostavax has been withdrawn and replaced by a much more effective vaccine (Shingrix). A study published today in Nature Medicine suggests that this new recombinant shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is associated with a greater reduction in the risk of dementia compared to Zostavax and vaccines against other types of infections.

 

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Global child immunisation levels stagnate in 2023, according to WHO and UNICEF data

Global childhood immunisation coverage stagnated in 2023, with 2.7 million more children unvaccinated or under-vaccinated than at pre-pandemic levels in 2019. This is one of the data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in the World Health Organization's Worldwide Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC), which captures global vaccination trends against 14 diseases. More than half of unvaccinated children live in 31 countries with fragile and conflict-affected environments. 

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Microproteins found exclusively in liver cancer, which could be used for vaccine design

Research led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (Barcelona) and involving researchers from CIMA (University of Navarra) and Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) has revealed the existence of microproteins present almost exclusively in hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. These structures, which appear to be found in a significant percentage of patients, could be used to develop specific vaccines against this type of tumour. The results are published in the journal Science Advances.

 

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Further progress towards an effective HIV vaccine through a sequential approach

The Science group is simultaneously publishing four papers (two in the journal Science, one in Science Immunology and one in Science Translational Medicine) that include advances in a sequential vaccination strategy for an effective HIV vaccine. The methods employed aim to obtain broad-spectrum neutralising antibodies and one of the proposals is already in clinical trials. 

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Reaction: Vaccination against RSV in pregnant women protects their babies, but increases the risk of preterm birth, according to a phase III clinical trial

The NEJM publishes the results of a phase III clinical trial conducted by GSK that had to be suspended due to a safety signal. The study shows that newborns of vaccinated mothers had a lower risk of experiencing severe events associated with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but also a higher risk of being born prematurely.

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Reactions: Study says children born in October are less likely to get the flu

Children born in October are more likely to be vaccinated against flu during that month and less likely to be diagnosed with the disease than those born in other months, according to a study published in BMJ. The research involved more than 800,000 US children aged two to five years who were vaccinated against the flu between 1 August and 31 January in the period from 2011 to 2018. The results suggest that the month of birth is related to both the timing of flu vaccination and the likelihood of flu diagnosis, and that October is the best month for flu vaccination.

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Reactions to the results of the phase 3 malaria vaccine R21 trial

In a clinical trial of nearly 5,000 children aged 5-36 months, a new malaria vaccine - called R21/MatrixM - reduced symptomatic cases by 68-75% over the following year. According to the authors, the vaccine will be inexpensive and could contribute to a substantial reduction in malaria suffering and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. The results of the phase 3 trial are published in The Lancet.

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Reactions: Nobel Prize in Physiology awarded to Karikó and Weissman for their discoveries that led to the development of effective mRNA vaccines against covid-19

The Karolinska Institute has awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their groundbreaking discoveries, which have radically changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, and made it possible to develop vaccines at unprecedented speed during the covid-19 pandemic.

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