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The successful mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 contain polyethylene glycol (PEG) to stabilize the lipid nanoparticles. Recent data show that PEG-specific antibodies can be induced or boosted by mRNA vaccination. Further research is needed to study the potential links between PEG-specific antibodies, vaccine reactogenicity and enhanced clearance of other PEG-containing medicines.
Laura Santambrogio and Pippa Marrack clarify how the mechanisms of autoreactivity in bona fide autoimmune diseases and in chronic inflammatory and metabolic conditions overlap and how are they distinguished.
Emerging data suggest a lymphoid origin of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which, in most cases, do not share the classical functional properties of myeloid dendritic cells. This Comment proposes that pDCs should be assigned to a subcategory of innate lymphocytes and should be referred to as interferon-producing cells.
Social insects such as ants form a superorganism in which individual colony members cooperate for disease defence, much like the cells of an organism. Studying social insect colonies can help to determine common principles that unite the disease defences of organisms, superorganisms and societies.
Wildfires are increasing globally, with several recent catastrophic wildfires linked to climate change. Here, we consider the negative impact of the toxic contaminants arising from these fires on the immune system, with a focus on how wildfire pollution can exacerbate inflammatory diseases.
Hybrid immunity occurs in those who have been both infected with and vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. But how well does such hybrid immunity protect against the virus and its emerging variants?
In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-vaccine activism in the USA accelerated, amplified and formed an alliance with political groups and even extremists. An organized, well-funded and empowered anti-science movement now threatens to spill over and threaten all childhood immunizations in the USA and globally.
Established models of behavioural science can help to explain the suboptimal COVID-19 vaccine uptake even in countries with a plentiful supply, showing that increasing vaccination is not just about increasing knowledge and motivation, but also about increasing the opportunity for vaccination.
Vitamin D has received much interest during the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential prophylactic or therapeutic agent — but do the available data support its use?
The non-pharmaceutical interventions that were introduced to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have also affected the transmission of respiratory syncytial virus, particularly its seasonality, with implications for the deployment of new monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.
In individuals with Down syndrome, immune dysregulation is partially caused by chromosome 21 trisomy. Here, we discuss how these immune differences may result in poorer COVID-19 outcomes, including diminished responses to vaccination and possibly elevated risk for long COVID.
Human immunology may soon benefit from the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. Here, we discuss how Swarm Learning could foster collaborative worldwide immunology studies that fully respect local data privacy regulations by sharing insights, not data.
Among the multi-organ complications of Long COVID, those associated with cardiometabolic syndrome were some of the most prevalent in recent studies of population-scale data. Given the potential health and economic burdens, there is an urgent need to better define the inflammatory processes involved.
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to cause milder disease in adults but lead to increased hospital admissions in children. How can we compare disease severity in Omicron and Delta infections, and how should differences be interpreted?
COVID-19 is associated with an unexpectedly high prevalence of arrhythmic events. In this Comment, Lazzerini et al. discuss how systemic inflammation is linked to cardiac arrhythmias.
In this Comment article, Gregory Poland and Richard Kennedy outline the importance of continued funding and infrastructure support for research into vaccine safety to inform public health decisions and increase public trust in new vaccine technologies.
In this Comment article, Nisreen Alwan discusses what her experience as both a public health academic and a person living with Long COVID has taught her about the importance of including those with lived experience of a condition in setting the research agenda.
Mathematical models have been used to guide strategies for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. But with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and waning immunity, how should vaccine distribution be prioritized?
At the population level we are seeing milder disease during the Omicron wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Is this due to the virus or pre-existing immunity, and what should we expect next?
