Applied immunology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Cell-traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites (CelTOS) is a malaria vaccine candidate. Here, the authors characterize mouse monoclonal antibodies recognizing different CelTOS epitopes, and demonstrate protection from transgenic parasites containing P. falciparum or P. vivax as well as multistage activity.

Release of the zero-COVID policy in China in late 2022 led to two large Omicron-driven waves of infection in 2023. Here, the authors analyze virus genomes and serology data from before and after the two waves and describe changes in virus lineage distribution and age-specific antibody responses.

SARS-CoV-2 evolution poses a risk to vaccine and antiviral drug efficacy. Here, Gagne et al. report the development of a variant-agnostic protein, RBD-62, with enhanced ACE2 binding obtained through in vitro evolution and show that RBD-62 inhalation protects nonhuman primates against SARS-CoV-2 Delta challenge.

During periods of stress, it is required to maintain the haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool. Here the authors show that Trim47 is important in the survival and function of HSCs after exposure to stress, and prevents haematopoietic failure by inhibiting MAVS-mediated excessive activation of the innate immune pathway.

We use a CRISPR screening platform based on adeno-associated virus and the Sleeping Beauty transposon (AAV-SB-CRISPR) to perform in vivo CRISPR screens in primary natural killer (NK) cells across four different tumor models, and identify calcium homeostasis modulator family member 2 (CALHM2) as an NK cellular checkpoint protein.

CRISPR–Cas12a was used to directly replace mouse antibody variable chain genes with human versions in primary B cells. The edited cells underwent affinity maturation in vivo, improving the potency of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies without loss of bioavailability. Affinity maturation of edited cells also enables new vaccine models and adaptive B cell therapies.

In patients with resected, high-risk melanoma, the addition of a personalized mRNA-based neoantigen therapy to adjuvant pembrolizumab was more effective than pembrolizumab alone.