Virax Discussion: Nature Immunology’s "CD4+ T cell calibration of antigen-presenting cells optimizes antiviral CD8+ T cell immunity"
This past week, an international team of scientists from the Berlin Institute of Health in Charité, the Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Peter Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and other institutions published an article in Nature Immunology [external link for Nature Immunology] on how T-helper cells determine the course of disease in viral infections. This ground-breaking research underscores the importance of T-cell modulation in adaptive immune responses and bolsters the evidence base for ViraxImmune™.
The Role of T-Killer Cells: T-killer cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, are an essential component of our body’s defense against viruses. These cells identify virus-infected cells and eliminate them, preventing the virus from spreading and infecting other cells. However, the activation and regulation of these T-killer cells need to be precisely controlled to avoid excessive immune reactions, known as immunopathology, which can be detrimental to patients.
With this, the researchers made significant progress in understanding the activation and regulation of T-killer cells during viral infections. The study focused on various viral infections, including herpes simplex viruses and SARS-CoV-2, in both mouse models and patients.
The study highlighted the crucial role of type I interferons in the process of T-killer cell activation. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 often attempt to evade the immune system by blocking the release or action of type I interferons. However, the researchers discovered that T-helper cells (CD4+ T cells) can assist innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells, in overcoming this blockade, ultimately enabling the activation of T-killer cells.
Evidence for ViraxImmune™: These findings have significant implications for the goals and thesis of ViraxImmune™. We aim to develop a test that detects T-cell activation, providing a more accurate understanding of an individual’s long-term immunity. This recent study’s insights into T-killer cell activation and the role of type I interferons support ViraxImmune™’s approach of assessing the adaptive immune response and evaluating an individual’s ability to fight off viral infections effectively.
Moreover, the study suggests that a deeper understanding of immunopathology in viral infections can open up new possibilities for treatment. By modulating the immune response, therapeutic strategies can be developed to mitigate severe outcomes, such as the severe courses of COVID-19. This principle aligns with ViraxImmune™’s mission of providing individuals with information that can aid in making informed decisions about personal protection, vaccination, and healthcare.
The recent article published in Nature Immunology brings us closer to understanding how T-killer cells are activated and regulated during viral infections. These insights further reinforce the goals and thesis of our ViraxImmune™ platform, which focuses on detecting T-cell activation and assessing an individual’s long-term immunity. By providing a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s adaptive immune response, ViraxImmune™ aims to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health, personal protection, and interactions with vulnerable populations. The study’s findings also have broader implications for developing therapeutic strategies and improving vaccination approaches, ultimately contributing to our collective fight against viral diseases.
Caution Concerning Forward Looking Statements: This blog post contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including: our financial performance and projections; our growth in revenue and earnings; and our business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “plans,” “projected,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “hopes” or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to change the direction of the Company; our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are only predictions. The forward-looking events discussed in this blog post and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Virax and its current plans or expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown uncertainties, risks and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These and other important factors are described in detail in the “Risk Factors” section of Virax’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2022. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this blog post and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur.
Media and Investor Contact:
- Nic Johnson and Adanna Alexander
- Russo Partners, LLC
- +1 (303) 482-6405
- nic.johnson@russopartnersllc.com
- adanna.alexander@russopartnersllc.com