Presenting Author: Alexandra N Donlan
, Postdoctoral fellow at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Res. Ctr.
Abstract:
To compare the immune response to Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccination between individuals protected or not protected from controlled human malaria infection (CHMI), we analyzed fixed whole blood by high-parameter mass cytometry. Malaria naïve participants were recruited in NCT04966871 and assigned to one of three clinical groups (A, B, C), all receiving identical vaccine regimens but differing in time interval to heterologous CHMI after third immunization (14, 42, 72 days). Whole blood was collected and fixed in Smarttubes at multiple time points to be analyzed, and due to fixation, markers for granulocytes and phosphorylated proteins were also able to be included in our staining panel. In agreement with previous literature, we observed increases Vδ2-γδ T cells in individuals who were protected from blood stage malaria after CHMI. We hypothesize that innate cell activation and function, including granulocytes, will have increased shortly after vaccination and be higher in individuals protected from CHMI. At later timepoints, we also hypothesize that CD8+ T cell activation will be higher in protected participants. Overall, the study of fixed whole blood samples during malaria vaccination will help increase our understanding of the broad immune response which correlates with protection and may help facilitate vaccine strategy moving forward.
Analysis of fixed whole blood identifies immune signatures of protection by PfSPZ Vaccine
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Poster
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Date: May 4 Presentation Time: 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM Room: Exhibit Hall F1