DTPa-Hib vaccine (Infanrix DTPa/Hib)

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.

Vaccinating wild badgers against bovine tuberculosis: an overview of 16 years of vaccine delivery in England.

Robertson Andrew A, Benton Clare H CH

The European badger (Meles meles) is wildlife host for Mycobacterium bovis (bovine tuberculosis) in the UK and several European countries, complicating efforts to control the disease in livestock. Badger vaccination using the injectable BadgerBCG vaccine has been available in England since 2010 as a non-lethal tool to reduce TB transmission in badger populations and reduce risks to cattle. Despite long-standing interest, national deployment has historically been limited, and questions remain about operational feasibility. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of 16 years of badger vaccination delivery in England, summarizing national deployment trends, geographical expansion, recorded welfare-related observations, operational efficiency in government led programmes, and the effects of culling history on trapping success. From 2010 to 25 there were 84,085 trap nights, resulting in 25,692 vaccine doses administered to wild badgers in England. Visual welfare assessments by lay vaccinators recorded >99% of badgers as normal for demeanor, respiration, condition, and movement. Minor injuries such as abrasions to the forelimbs were recorded in 4.2% of badgers with serious injuries extremely rare (0.03% of captures) and veterinary callouts required in only 0.04% of events. Trapping efficiency varied by month and trap location and was significantly higher in unculled populations, than those where culling had recently taken place. In post-cull areas, trapping success increased steadily with time, which may suggest partial population recovery and increasing trap encounter rates. These results show that badger vaccination in England has expanded substantially and can be delivered across diverse landscapes, including areas recently subject to culling. While vaccination using traps is unlikely to become a landscape-wide tool due to costs and logistical constraints, it can act as a targeted intervention in areas where badgers contribute meaningfully to disease transmission. These findings provide robust operational evidence to inform policy and support the strategic deployment of badger vaccination as part of England's evolving bTB control strategy.