Introduction We have designed a synthetic peptide-based system for the control of FMD, having synthetic peptide-based NS immunoassays and peptide-based marker vaccines. The UBI system for FMD has two indirect ELISAs for screening animals based on 3B nonstructural protein (NS) synthetic antigen, for detection of animals that may be carrying infectious virus and for differentiation of exposed fro...

Background: Malaria, caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality of the whole human population.Intensive, ongoing research aims to develop an effective vaccine against malaria; however, it has been unsuccessful for over a century. The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) plays crucial a role in the parasite life cycle. CSP is the most dominant sur...

A single blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-center phase I clinical trial of a CD8(+) T-cell peptide epitope vaccine against infectious mononucleosis was conducted with 14 HLA B*0801-positive, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-seronegative adults. The vaccine comprised the HLA B*0801-restricted peptide epitope FLRGRAYGL and tetanus toxoid formulated in a water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide ISA 7...

Cancer peptide vaccination, as an immunotherapeutic approach against solid tumors, is currently employed in several clinical research protocols. The underlying mechanism of peptide-based vaccines involves the generation of a T-cell immune response against tumor or enhancement of an endogenous antitumor immunity pre-existing in the host [1]. Although the rationale of cancer vaccination studies s...

A polymorphism in the experimentally successful peptide vaccine sequence (EVVWKEKKEVKDLDA, amino acids 134-148) derived from the 33 kDa piroplasm major surface antigen (p33) of Theileria sergenti was examined. The vaccine sequences obtained by PCR amplification and sequencing of the p33 gene from a total of 15 parasite-infected cattle blood samples collected from 4 prefectures through Hokkaido ...

BACKGROUND As a potent CD8(+) T cell activator, peptide vaccine has found its way in vaccine development against intracellular infections and cancer, but not against leishmaniasis. The first step toward a peptide vaccine is epitope mapping of different proteins according to the most frequent HLA types in a population. METHODS AND FINDINGS Six Leishmania (L.) major-related candidate antigens (...

I herby declare that the research described in this thesis and the thesis itself was composed and originated entirely by myself, except where otherwise stated. Genes controlling vaccine responses and disease resistance to respiratory viral pathogens in cattle. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. (In press) Quantitative trait loci for variation in immune response to a Foot-and-Mouth disea...

A multiple antigen peptide (MAP) malaria vaccine containing minimal Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein repeat epitopes was assessed for safety and immunogenicity in volunteers of known class II genotypes. The MAP/alum/QS-21 vaccine formulation elicited high levels of parasite-specific antibodies in 10 of 12 volunteers expressing DQB1*0603, DRB1*0401, or DRB1*1101 class II molecules....

Currently, infections of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) due to Human Enterovirus 71 (EV71) cannot be prevented or treated, as there are no suitable vaccines or antiviral drugs. This study aimed to identify potential vaccine candidates for EV71 using in silico analysis of its viral capsid proteins. A combined in silico approach utilizing computational hidden Markov model (HMM), propensity s...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Most group A streptococcal (GAS) vaccine strategies focused on the surface M protein of the GAS. However, vaccine based on M protein have some drawbacks. In the present study, we used two approaches to identify new proteins and peptides that may have utility as vaccine candidates. METHODS A whole gel elution procedure was used to separate GAS surface antigens into 9 si...