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The Memphis Flyer is Memphis alternative newsweekly, serving the metro Memphis area of nearly a million residents. The Flyer was started in 1989 by Contemporary Media, Inc., the locally owned publishers of Memphis magazine. For over 30 years, The Memphis Flyer has hit the streets every Wednesday morning with a blend of serious hard news and Memphis best entertainment coverage.
Summit (Precision Vaccinations News)
AccordingtoStefan Merlo, Vice President of Commercial Operations,North America, CSL Seqirus, pharmacies in the United States will soon offer updated flu shots.
Mr. Merlo exclusively informed Precision Vaccinations News that as of July 9, 2024, CSL Seqirus was already shipping itsdifferentiated influenza vaccines for the 2024/25 Northern Hemisphere flu season.
"This year, we've transitioned to trivalent vaccine formulations, aligning with U.S. FDA guidelines."
"Our primary goal is to bolster protection against influenzaa mission that grows more critical season over season as immunization rates decline. By ensuring timely and widespread distribution of our vaccines, we aim to support healthcare providers in safeguarding their patients and communities this flu season."
"The recent declines in flu vaccination rates pose a significant impact on public health, particularly by straining healthcare systems and resulting in the U.S. CDC seeing higher influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths compared to seasons past."
"This unfortunate trend was seen across various and vulnerable age groups, with a 22% drop among children aged six months to 18 years and a 14% decrease in adults over 65, a group that typically maintains stable immunization rates."
"In response to the decline in immunization rates, CSL Seqirus is actively enhancing awareness of this significant problem and collaborating with public health stakeholders across the country to meet and exceed pre-pandemic vaccination levels."
"With shipmentsunderway, we are confident in our ability to deliver supply consistently and do our part to increase immunization rates and reduce the burden of influenza."
"At CSL Seqirus, we remain at the forefront of the fight against influenza, committed to offering influenza vaccine options and protecting communities from influenza-related complications."
"Our innovative and diverse influenza vaccine portfolio is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of different age groups, ensuring that all eligible individuals can safely receive their annual flu vaccination."
"This commitment not only protects individuals from influenza but also safeguards their loved ones by reducing the severity and spread of the virus," concluded Merlo.
CSL Seqirus offers a differentiated influenza vaccine option in the U.S. approved for use in people aged six months and older, which includes:
FLUCELVAXis a cell-based influenza vaccine indicated for use in people six months and older.
FLUAD, the first and only adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine for adults 65 and older, is preferentially recommended by the CDCAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practicesover standard-dose influenza vaccines. FLUAD contains an MF59adjuvant designed to strengthen, broaden, and lengthen the immune response when added to an influenza vaccine.
AFLURIA is an egg-based influenza vaccine approved for use in eligible people six months and older.
During the last flu season in the U.S., local pharmacies successfully administered a significant share of influenza vaccines. This trend is expected to continue in 2024-2025 since pharmacies offer appointment scheduling and the broadest selection of vaccines.
(Precision Vaccinations News)
Biotechnology company Apriori Bio recentlyannounced it was awarded $1.1 million fromthe Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance its biology-informed artificial intelligence platform Octavia, aimed at protecting humanity against rapidly evolving viruses by designing variant-resilient vaccines.
The new seed funding from CEPI will focus on pandemic influenza strain H3N2, which has previously affected pigs, birds, and humans.
The Octavia platform works by characterizing large libraries of viral variants on their ability to bind to cells in the human body and evade the immune response. Then, using machine learning, Octavia generates maps to identify the mutations that have the greatest escape potential and could, therefore, pose the greatest threat.
Octavia builds and trains its algorithms using computational insights and experimental biological data. This includes studying viral evolutionary trees to identify the point at which viral variability is most likely to occur and exploring how mutations could affect each other.
These insights can guide the design and updating of new vaccines and existing vaccines so that they can protect against worrisome variants for years to come.
Lovisa Afzelius, Ph.D., MBA, Co-founder and CEO of Apriori, said in a press release on July 7, 2024,We are honored to be recognized by a global leader in pandemic preparedness who shares our commitment to better protecting humanity from rapidly evolving viruses."
CEPIs 2022-2026 plan, known as CEPI 2.0, will help the world make the scientific progress needed to respond to the next Disease X threat with a new vaccine in just 100 days. This goal is known as the 100 Days Mission.
A collaborative study has uncovered microproteins exclusive to liver tumors, presenting a new avenue for cancer vaccine development. These microproteins arise from genes previously considered non-coding, offering hope for effective treatments for low-mutation cancers like liver cancer.
Scientists identified a set of microproteins that are exclusively produced in liver tumors. This makes them a clear target for immune system cells and a potential target for cancer vaccine development.
A study has identified a group of small molecules exclusive to liver tumors that could be key to developing cancer vaccines. These are microproteins, very small proteins expressed only by tumor cells. This can result in the activation of immune cells against the tumor.
The study, which was led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, with Cima University of Navarra and Pompeu Fabra University, will be published today (July 10) in the journal Science Advances.
By integrating data from tumors and healthy tissue from over one hundred liver cancer patients, the researchers identified this set of microproteins. These small molecules are generated from genes that were previously thought incapable of encoding proteins.
In recent years, there has been increasing attention to this group of genes, which, due to their short length or low expression, were considered non-coding. New techniques have revealed that some of these genes can indeed produce small proteins, says Mar Alb, an ICREA researcher at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute.
This discovery was made possible through a combination of computational techniques such as transcriptomics, translatomics, and proteomics, along with laboratory experiments aimed at studying the immune response.
The development of cancer vaccines relies on the immune systems ability to recognize foreign molecules that are not part of the body. Mutations in cancer cells generate foreign peptides that alert the immune system. However, the challenge lies with cancers that have low mutation rates, such as liver cancer. Studying microproteins, which were previously difficult to detect, offers an alternative.
This study shows that there is a significant number of microproteins exclusively expressed in tumor cells that could be used to develop new treatments, explains Marta Espinosa Camarena, a researcher at Hospital del Mar Research Institute.
We have seen that some of these microproteins can stimulate the immune system, potentially generating a response against cancer cells. This response can be enhanced with vaccines, similar to the coronavirus vaccines, but producing these microproteins. These vaccines could stop or reduce tumor growth, says Puri Fortes, a researcher at CIMA and CIBERehd.
Unlike other types of vaccines based on patient-specific mutations, this treatment could be used in multiple people, as the same microprotein is expressed in various patients.
Administering these vaccines could be relatively simple, although research for their application has not yet begun. That is our goal, the researchers indicate.
Reference: Microproteins encoded by non-canonical ORFs are a major source of tumor-specific antigens in a liver cancer patient meta-cohort by Camarena ME, Theunissen P, Ruiz M, Ruiz-Orera J, Calvo-Serra B, Castelo R, Castro C, Sarobe P, Fortes P, Perera-Bel, Alb MM, 10 July 2024, Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn3628
Austin (Precision Vaccinations News)
The Journal of Infection recently published insights on how vaccination can reduce the incidence of gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted disease. Gonorrhea is one of the fastest-growingdiagnoses by percent change (16.8%).
This new study's findings indicatethat MenBvaccines may offer moderate protection against gonococcal infections.
Published on July 8, 2024, this systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of 4CMenB and MenB-OMV vaccines formeningococcal vaccination against gonococcal infections across 12 studies conducted incountries including the United States,New Zealand, Canada, Cuba, Australia, and Norway.
Modeling studies have suggested that even a partially effective vaccine could reduce the population prevalence of gonococcal infections by 3560% within ten yearsand decrease incidence by up to 25% over 70 years.
These findings emphasize the potential value of incorporating meningococcal vaccination into strategies to control gonococcal infections, particularly in regions with high incidence rates and limited treatment options due to antibiotic resistance.
However, further research is needed to ascertain the factors associated with vaccine protection and to provide more substantial evidence for cost-effectiveness analysis. This will inform vaccination strategies for the more effective management of gonococcal infections.
Furthermore, other countries besides the United Kingdomshould consider4CMenB vaccination programs for those at high risk of gonococcal infection.
In the U.S.,GSK'sBexsero(MenB-4C)vaccine was U.S. FDA-approved for intramuscular injection in2015 for 10- through 25-year-olds to prevent meningococcal group B disease caused byNeisseria meningitidisbacteria. As of 2024, peoplebetween the ages of 16 and 23 can receive the Bexsero vaccine based on 'shared clinical decision-making.'
This literature searchwas conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Google Scholar, clinical trial registries, and major health and immunization conferences.
A meta-analysis was performed with the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model to estimate the pooled VE.
All study authors receive no personal payments from the industry. The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships that may be considered potential competing interests: Helen Marshall is an investigator on vaccine trials sponsored by iILiAD Biotechnologies, Pfizer, and Sanofi. Helen Marshalls institution receives funding for investigator-led studies from industry, including GSK, Pfizer, and Sanofi Pasteur.
Compounds called adjuvants are key to making vaccines created from inactive viruses strong enough to generate an immune response. Now, researchers think they may have found one of the most potentadjuvantsyet: an immunomodulating small molecule called PVP-037.
In principle, this compound can be added to any vaccine to enhance its action, Ofer Levy, M.D., Ph.D., a Boston Childrens Hospital scientist and the lead author on a July 3 Science Advances article describing the discovery, said in an accompanyingpress release. PVP-037 is one of the most active adjuvants weve discovered, and we think it induces a greater, more durable, and broader immune response to vaccines.
The researchers identified PVP-037 by screening a 200,000-plus library of small molecules found in human immune cells. Of the 25 hits the analysis returned, PVP-037 was the most active.
The compound is whats known as an imidazopyrimidine, a versatile molecule often used in drug development across a wide range of diseases. Cell studies on donor immune cells showed that PVP-037 activated immune pathways and cytokine production. In mice, an optimized form of the adjuvant boosted antibodies against flu and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, when given alongside disease-causing antigens.
Of course, efficacy alone isnt enoughfor an adjuvant to be useful, it needs to be easily integrated into the vaccine development timeline. Here, too, PVP-037 seems to be a good fit. The compound is stable and can be formulated in most drug delivery systems, like oil-in-water emulsions. Its also easy to work with, according to the researchers.
The study is limited by the fact that the experiments were in mice and that the mechanisms by which the adjuvant works werent totally clear. Further, the researchers still need to study how it performs in the presence of actual pathogens, not just key proteins, they wrote in their paper. There are other details to work out as well.
Immunization studies were undertaken at relatively short time points, such that future studies are needed to assess the impact of PVP-037 on durability of immune responses, they wrote in the article. Although we focused on [antibody] responses as important correlates of protection against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 further studies should assess T cell responses along with toxicity studies on stable formulations.
Meanwhile, Boston Childrens and the researchers have already patented the adjuvant and plan to use funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study whether the adjuvant works across age groups. Theyll be looking at its performance inside influenza, whooping cough and opioid vaccines to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths, according to the press release.
The work on imidazopyrimidines as immunomodulatory compounds has been patented, too, and will eventually be studied for applications in allergy and cancer treatments.
Starting in late 2020, the media and public health establishment had two obsessions. One related to forcing the public to wear masks, even though the mountains of data and several studies have confirmed that they don't stop transmission of respiratory viruses. The second obsession was forcing everyone to take COVID vaccines, regardless of their actual efficacy, risk of side effects, age or underlying health, or the vaccines' rapidly waning efficacy.
That obsession has not abated, though even the most extreme, hardened COVID extremists have acknowledged that mandates were a mistake and side effects should be acknowledged.
READ: Former CDC Director Makes Stunning Admission On COVID Vaccines
Even now, that obsession continues, despite the pandemic effectively ending. As has happened every single year since 2020, cases have increased in summer. And a Los Angeles media outlet, of course it had to be Los Angeles, has determined the culprit.
LOS ANGELES - A hiker wearing a mask because of the coronavirus walks past the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park in March of 2020. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Turns out it's not seasonality causing the increase, it's outdated COVID vaccines and a lack of public masking, of course!
NBC Los Angeles "reported" that COVID cases in California and Los Angeles have "doubled" in the last month. This sounds horrifying and scary, doesn't it? Yet it again, as is so often the case with COVID coverage, is misleading.
Here's the current COVID situation in Los Angeles County. Given the fear about a "doubling" of cases in recent weeks, it should be easy to spot how this surge compares to previous increases.
You can see why the media is scared, given how dramatic this surge appears to be compared to the previous four years. And thanks to NBC's crack reporting, we know why this terrifying increase is happening. People aren't wearing masks, and aren't getting the right COVID vaccines.
"People arent necessarily wearing masks; theyre not required to in certain places," nurse practitioner Alice Benjamin said. "Were traveling, were getting out for the summer. We also do have some reduced immunity. The vaccines will wane over time."
Nowhere in the story is it mentioned that the massive jump in COVID cases in late 2021 and early 2022 happened immediately after LA County Public Health issued a press release celebrating the county for achieving 95+ percent masking rates at indoor businesses. No one seems able to ask this nurse practitioner why she believes wearing masks would reduce this "surge," if it failed so spectacularly in previous surges.
She wasn't done with the misinformation though. Benjamin warned that not enough Angelenos are getting the "updated" vaccine, which explains the summer increase.
"If you got it in October and later, thats generally the updated vaccine," Benjamin said. "If you got it prior to October, double check because if you did get the bivalent which has not been phased out, we recommend you do get an updated vaccine."
And according to her, everyone should get it. Because the CDC said so.
"Per CDC recommendations, anyone 6 months or older should have at least one of the updated COVID vaccines," Benjamin said.
Though, of course, no one on the crack NBC Los Angeles team thought to ask Benjamin why the "updated" October vaccine would help against the FLiRT variant when it emerged six months after the "updated" vaccine was released. Especially when the "study" process for booster doses is effectively nonexistent anyway.
Her comments and the media reaction exemplifies the problems with COVID discourse that started in 2020 and will apparently continue forever. A complete and purposeful ignorance of the facts, the data, and the evidence base. A willingness to advocate for the same sort of restrictions and interventions that have already failed. Ignorance of the booster process and endless appeals to public health authorities. Even though those authorities have made countless mistakes and refused to update their findings after being proven wrong.
READ: Former CDC Director Admits COVID Mandates Were Destructive And Ineffective
The obvious question is how does this type of absurdist discourse ever end? The answer, as we continue to see, is it doesn't.
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It seems like most people know someone who has had COVID-19 recently. We dont tend to think of illness spreading in the summer when were making travel plans and gathering with friends and family. But given the increase, its an important time to think about how to do our activities more safely.
We sat down with Dr. Eric Chow, Chief of Communicable Disease for Public Health, to talk about COVID-19 heading into this summer and how to apply what we learned during the pandemic into our lives and daily activities, particularly during times of increased COVID-19 activity.
Since May, weve seen a higher levels of COVID-19 across our metrics including wastewater, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. This is coming after several months of decreased COVID-19 activity. While COVID-19 may not be on peoples radar right now, it hasnt gone away.
I am concerned about the increased COVID-19 activity we are seeing as people, especially those who are older or have chronic conditions, can get very sick. We also know we are at risk for long COVID and steps we can take in our lives can continue to reduce the chance of these complications developing.
Its understandable that people are still burnt out on COVID-19 precautions. Im still concerned because COVID-19 is still here and whenever infections increase in the community, it is our vulnerable residents who carry a larger burden of the severe disease. Additionally, when someone gets COVID-19, theres a risk of getting long COVID.
Long COVID can be debilitating and life altering including symptoms such as extreme fatigue, difficulty thinking, pain, and dizziness. These symptoms can last for months or years, and can make it extremely difficult to go to work, school, or carry on with daily life. You can develop long COVID even if you have COVID-19 and have no symptoms or mild illness. It can affect people of all ages, even if you were previously in good health.
Anyone who has had COVID-19 is at risk for long COVID. The way you prevent getting long COVID is by not getting COVID-19 in the first place. Staying up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations can also reduce your risk of long COVID.
Precautions are also worth it because we continue to have hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, mainly for older adults, those that have underlying conditions, or who are not vaccinated. Deaths from COVID-19 remain higher than influenza, even at this point in the pandemic.
Given the higher levels of COVID-19 activity right now, its a good idea to get a COVID-19 vaccination if you havent had a shot since September 2023, so long as vaccines are available. Or, if you are 65 or older, get another dose if its been more than four months since your last one. If youve already done that, youre up to date!
In King County, just 28% of people have received the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine and only 22% of people are up-to-date. Given the increase in COVID right now, its a good idea to make sure youre caught up on vaccination.
We will have a new formulation in the fall, and this will be recommended for anyone 6 months and older. Getting a dose now wont prevent you from getting the updated vaccination in the fall. COVID-19 is spreading now, so its better to get a shot now if youre not up-to-date.
We want people to be able to live their lives fully, so its important to think about how to do our daily activities more safely. The steps weve all heard about can really make a difference:
When you feel unwell, stay at home until your symptoms are getting better overall and you no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours. For the next five days, take precautions including masking and good hand hygiene. For those 50 and older or have underlying medical conditions that put increased risk for severe COVID-19, its important to talk with your doctor about treatment early during your illness.
As more people return to activities we enjoyed before the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing increases in other infections that can very effectively be prevented by vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough. In addition to checking on your COVID-19 vaccine status, its a good time to see if you and your family are up-to-date on all your vaccines. This is especially important as part of your travel planning.
Originally published on July 10, 2024.
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