polio vaccine

NUFIP1 gain of function promotes fibrotic remodeling and reveals a ZNHIT3-linked metabolic vulnerability in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis models.

Lou Yueyan Y, Qian Guojun G, Jiang Zhihan Z, Zhang Hongyan H et al.

Fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix deposition are central features of IPF, but the molecular programs that sustain pathogenic fibroblast states remain incompletely defined. NUFIP1 has been implicated in ribonucleoprotein biology and cellular stress responses, yet its role in pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. NUFIP1 expression was examined in lung tissues from patients with IPF, bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, and TGF-β1-stimulated human lung fibroblasts. Gain-of-function studies were performed in MRC-5 fibroblasts and in mice using AAV-mediated NUFIP1 overexpression. The association between NUFIP1 and ZNHIT3 was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance. The effect of CB-839 on NUFIP1-ZNHIT3 interaction, fibroblast activation, and pulmonary fibrosis was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Public bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets were analyzed to assess the clinical relevance of NUFIP1 expression in human IPF. NUFIP1 expression was increased in IPF lung tissue and showed spatial overlap with Vimentin-positive fibrotic regions. AAV-mediated NUFIP1 gain of function was sufficient to induce fibrotic remodeling relative to vector controls, with a magnitude comparable to a separate bleomycin reference group. NUFIP1 associated with ZNHIT3, and CB-839 altered the apparent association under the tested conditions while reducing NUFIP1-associated fibrotic readouts. Public transcriptomic analyses supported a modest donor-level increase in whole-lung NUFIP1 expression and detected NUFIP1 across multiple lineages, including IPF-associated fibroblast states. These gain-of-function data support a profibrotic effect of increased NUFIP1 in experimental models. ZNHIT3 is a candidate binding partner, and CB-839 reduced NUFIP1-associated fibrotic readouts at the tested dose. Pathway specificity, endogenous necessity, and clinical relevance remain to be established.

Therapeutic melanoma vaccines: Platforms, neoantigen strategies, and emerging combination immunotherapies.

Mhanna Daniel D, Salman Bilal B, El Hakim Rawad R, Aridi Lea L et al.

Melanoma has emerged as a major focus of cancer immunotherapy research because of its highly immunogenic nature and responsiveness to immune-based treatments. Therapeutic melanoma vaccines are designed to stimulate tumor-specific immune responses through the delivery of Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs), Tumor-Specific Antigens (TSAs), and personalized neoantigens. This narrative review provides an overview of current melanoma vaccine strategies, including peptide-based vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, nucleic acid-based platforms such as mRNA, DNA, and viral vector vaccines. Recent advances in vaccine engineering and tumor genomics have accelerated the development of personalized neoantigen vaccines capable of targeting mutations unique to individual tumors. In parallel, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly being incorporated into neoantigen identification pipelines to improve epitope prediction and optimize vaccine design. Combination strategies involving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs), particularly anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies, have further enhanced interest in melanoma vaccines by helping overcome tumor-induced immune suppression and augment T-cell activation. In addition to reviewing vaccine mechanisms and emerging technologies, this manuscript examines the evolving clinical trial landscape through analysis of melanoma vaccine studies registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Although many studies have reported encouraging safety and immunogenicity findings, challenges related to tumor heterogeneity, immune evasion, biomarker selection, and manufacturing complexity continue to limit widespread clinical implementation. Ongoing advances in computational immunology, biomaterial engineering, and precision oncology are expected to further refine melanoma vaccine development and improve therapeutic efficacy. Collectively, these innovations may help establish melanoma vaccines as an increasingly important component of future personalized cancer immunotherapy strategies.

Moderna flu vaccine wins FDA approval.

Breaking barriers in health surveillance: privacy-preserving techniques for tracking vaccine hesitancy and disease outbreaks in Pakistan.

Shahid Muhammad Imran MI, Wanqu Han H, Shah Faiza F, Ai Kunpeng K

Precise measurement of sensitive public health outcomes is often limited by underreporting, stigma, and social desirability bias. These challenges can affect estimates of COVID-19 infection and vaccine hesitancy, leading to incomplete evidence for surveillance and public health decision-making. This study examined the use of privacy-preserving stratified randomized response models (SRRMs) to improve the estimation of sensitive health information in a population-based setting. We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative survey in Punjab, Pakistan, during June-August 2021. A total of 1,200 participants were recruited using simple random sampling with replacement within a stratified design, with equal allocation to urban (n = 600) and rural (n = 600) populations. Privacy-preserving SRRM-I and SRRM-II procedures were applied to estimate underreported outbreak cases and vaccine hesitancy while reducing response bias related to confidentiality concerns. Estimates were compared with directly reported responses, and precision was assessed using the percentage relative efficiency (PRE). The empirical estimates reflect the June-August 2021 survey period in Punjab, Pakistan. Estimated outbreak prevalence was higher than directly reported prevalence in both urban and rural populations, indicating underreporting of infection. In urban areas, directly reported COVID-19 cases (10.5%) were lower than privacy-preserving estimates obtained using SRRM-I and SRRM-II (15.3% and 17.4%). In rural areas, directly reported cases (13.7%) were also lower than the corresponding estimates (16.7% and 19.5%). Vaccine hesitancy estimates were also higher under the privacy-preserving procedures (26.3% reported vs. 27.4% and 27.2%), although the difference was considerably smaller than for outbreak cases. All PRE values exceeded 100, indicating improved efficiency relative to the benchmark models. These findings suggest that conventional self-reporting underestimates sensitive public health outcomes, particularly where disclosure concerns are present. Privacy-preserving SRRM frameworks can improve the estimation of sensitive public health outcomes, including outbreak underreporting and vaccine hesitancy. The advantage of the two-stage design was most pronounced for the more sensitive outcome, indicating that the truthful-reporting parameter should be matched to the perceived sensitivity of the outcome under study. In settings where respondents are reluctant to disclose health-related information, such methods can strengthen surveillance data quality and support more reliable public health planning and policy decisions.