Dear reader,
This issue of Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics starts with a Portrait of Dr. Clarisa Beatriz Palatnik de Sousa of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Palatnik de Sousa, p 1228).
We present for the first time a section on the novel Coronavirus, which has spread worldwide and caused COVID-19 infection in millions of people and death in hundreds of thousands. A mini-review summarizes the prospects for developing vaccines and immunotherapeutics (Dhama, p 1232), and a commentary looks at the SARS-CoV receptor-binding domain as a potential vaccine target (Chen, p 1239).
A Special Focus on Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccines introduces new research on the development and use of MenCVs. We invite you to read the accompanying Editorial overview (Weiss, p 1243).
Four research articles on Novel Vaccines investigate the levels of RSV-neutralizing antibodies in healthy adults (van der Plas, p 1322), the presence and potential immunogenicity of traces of hamster neogenin in a recombinant RSV fusion glycoprotein vaccine (Steff, p 1327), age-related immunity to group B streptococci (Choi, p 1338) and the genomes of Chinese human leptospirosis vaccine and circulating strains (Zhang, p 1345).
The Influenza section includes an analysis of British Columbia’s influenza prevention policy (Di Castri, p 1354), a survey of factors affecting maternal vaccination uptake in Japan (Shono, p 1364), a comparison of intradermal and intramuscular vaccine administration (Chuaychoo, p 1371), and a Phase 3 immunogenicity and safety study of a multi-dose quadrivalent inactivated vaccine in children (Ojeda, p 1380).
Three research articles on HPV report on novel intersectoral collaboration to increase vaccine coverage (Askelson, p 1385), safety of an AS04-adjuvanted bivalent vaccine in adolescents (Bi, p 1392), and safety and immunogenicity of VGX-3100 formulations in adults (Hollenberg, p 1404).
The Immunotherapy segment presents an analysis of cytotoxic T-cell responses following immunization with the oncogenic protein D52 (Elizondo, p 1413) and a review of CAR-T cell therapies (Picanco-Castro, p 1424).
Articles in the Licensed Vaccines section feature a novel assay for measuring neutralizing antibodies against coxsackievirus A10 (Li, p 1434), a case report on post-exposure prophylaxis with a live chick-embryo-cell rabies vaccine (Tumma, p 1441), and a commentary on the polio eradication campaign in Pakistan (Ahmad, p 1444).
Finally, we introduce a report on the impact of Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in Spain (Rivero-Calle, p 1446), a Public Health review of childhood vaccination in armed conflicts (Ngo, p 1454), a long-term immunogenicity study of Hepatitis B surface antigen in a malaria vaccine (Valea, p 1464), and a correction notice (Basch, p 1471).
Our monthly News, Policy and Profiles (NP&P) track offers a selection of the latest news in the field of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. In this section we also regularly publish opinion pieces on timely, interesting and controversial topics related to vaccines and immunotherapeutics, profiles of companies and organizations, as well as portraits of distinguished scientists in our field. Please contact Acquisitions Editor Adam Weiss ([email protected]) with your ideas for commentaries, opinion pieces, profiles and portraits. Your suggestions for and contributions to our N&P&P track are always welcome!
Sincerely,
Ronald Ellis, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Adam Weiss, PhD
Acquisitions Editor