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Abstract Background Neoantigen vaccines can induce or enhance highly specific antitumor immune responses with minimal risk of autoimmunity. We have developed a neoantigen DNA vaccine platform capable of efficiently presenting both HLA class I and II epitopes and performed a phase 1 clinical trial in triple-negative breast cancer patients with persistent disease on surgical pathology following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a patient population at high risk of disease recurrence. Methods Expressed somatic mutations were identified by tumor/normal exome sequencing and tumor RNA sequencing. The pVACtools software suite of neoantigen prediction algorithms was used to identify and prioritize cancer neoantigens and facilitate vaccine design for manufacture in an academic GMP facility. Neoantigen DNA vaccines were administered via electroporation in the adjuvant setting (i.e., following surgical removal of the primary tumor and completion of standard of care therapy). Vaccines were monitored for safety and immune responses via ELISpot, intracellular cytokine production via flow cytometry, and TCR sequencing. Results Eighteen subjects received three doses of a neoantigen DNA vaccine encoding on average 11 neoantigens per patient (range 4–20). The vaccinations were well tolerated with relatively few adverse events. Neoantigen-specific T cell responses were induced in 14/18 patients as measured by ELISpot and flow cytometry. At a median follow-up of 36 months, recurrence-free survival was 87.5% (95% CI: 72.7–100%) in the cohort of vaccinated patients. Conclusion Our study demonstrates neoantigen DNA vaccines are safe, feasible, and capable of inducing neoantigen-specific immune responses. Clinical trial registration number NCT02348320.

Abstract The psychosocial underpinnings of vaccine hesitancy are complex. Research is needed to pinpoint the exact reasons why people hesitate to vaccinate themselves or their children against vaccine-preventable diseases. One possible reason are concerns that arise from a misunderstanding of vaccine science. We examined the impact of scientific reasoning on vaccine hesitancy and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intent through a cross-sectional study of parents of vaccine-eligible children (N = 399) at immunization clinics in Shanghai, China. We assessed the relationship between science reasoning and both vaccine hesitancy and HPV vaccine acceptance using general additive models. We found a significant association between scientific reasoning and education level, with those with less than a high school education having a significantly lower scientific reasoning that those with a college education (ß = -1.31, p-value = 0.002). However, there was little evidence of a relationship between scientific reasoning and vaccine hesitancy. Scientific reasoning therefore appears not to exert primary influence on the formation of vaccine attitudes among the respondents surveyed. We suggest that research on vaccine hesitancy continues working to identify the styles of reasoning parents engage in when determining whether or not to vaccinate their children. This research could inform the development and implementation of tailored vaccination campaigns.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in the orchestration of effective T cell responses against tumors. However, their functional behavior is context-dependent. DC type, transcriptional program, location, intratumoral factors, and inflammatory milieu all impact DCs with regard to promoting or inhibiting tumor immunity. The following review introduces important facets of DC function, and how subset and phenotype can affect the interplay of DCs with other factors in the tumor microenvironment. It will also discuss how current cancer treatment relies on DC function, and survey the myriad ways with which immune therapy can more directly harness DCs to enact antitumor cytotoxicity.

In April 2021, the US paused Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccination because of reported blood clots post vaccination. This paper explores how vaccine decision-making--receiving a J&J vaccine right away vs waiting for a Pfizer vaccine--changed during the pause. In an opt-in internet-based survey April 2021 with 915 participants, 37 % were not vaccinated. Of these, 18 % would accept a J&J vaccine, 5 % would wait 1 month for a Pfizer vaccine, 25 % would wait 3 months, and 52 % would not want any vaccine. Among the unvaccinated, 56 % had heard of blood clots; 61 % of these did not want any vaccine, compared to 41 % of those who had not heard of blood clots. Moreover, among those vaccine hesitant in general, 11 % would still obtain a J&J vaccine if offered right away. These findings may suggest spillover of brand-specific adverse event concerns to the vaccine product as a whole.

Background Herpes zoster vaccine (HZV) has been available in China’s mainland since June 2020. This study estimated willingness to receive HZV to characterize factors that may influence vaccination willingness. Methods We conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey in adults aged 50–69 years in 13 communities in Shanghai in late 2020. We explored the relationship between vaccination willingness and independent factors including demographic factors, medical history, knowledge of herpes zoster and HZV, and vaccine hesitancy. Outcomes included participants’ willingness to vaccinate themselves, their partners, and their parents, under both the current payment scenario (self-payment) and a hypothetical scenario (payment by basic medical insurance). Results A total of 1672 respondents aged 50–69 years were included in this study. The proportion of respondents willing to get vaccinated was 16.57% for themselves, 13.88% for their partners, and 8.49% for their parents. If the vaccine was covered under insurance, these numbers increased to 72.25%, 62.50%, and 29.96%, respectively. Younger age, female gender, higher income, higher educational level, local residents, and lower vaccine hesitancy were associated with increased willingness to vaccinate. Knowledge of herpes zoster and HZV positively influenced the willingness in the hypothetical payment scenario. Conclusion We determined a very low willingness to vaccinate HZV in adults aged 50–69 years in a Chinese metropolis. Decreasing costs is important to increase coverage. Additionally, strengthening advocacy and health promotion for the vaccine will be particularly important, especially for groups with certain underlying diseases.

Abstract Objectives This study assessed changes in behaviors/attitudes related to the COVID-19. With the understanding that behaviors and vaccine decision-making could contribute to global spread of infectious diseases, this study collected several waves of internet-based surveys from individuals in the United States, mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. The aims of this study were to (1) characterize the relationship between the epidemiology of disease and changes over time in risk perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes towards hygienic behaviors; (2) examine if risk perceptions affect acceptance of less-than-ideal vaccines; and (3) contrast adherence to public health recommendations across countries which have had different governmental responses to the outbreak. Data description We conducted cross-sectional online surveys in six countries from March 2020 to April 2021. By the end of June 2021, there will be six waves of surveys for the United States and China, and four waves for the rest of countries. There are common sets of questions for all countries, however, some questions were adapted to reflect local situations and some questions were designed intentionally for specific countries to capture different COVID-19 mitigation actions. Participants were asked about their adherence towards countermeasures, risk perceptions, and acceptance of a hypothetical vaccine for COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to assess the relationship between personal experiences and vaccine decision-making. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between experiences with COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination status. We administered 28 repeated cross-sectional, online surveys between June 2020 and June 2021 in the US and Asia. The main exposure was media showing COVID-19 cases, and we distinguished those with no such experience, those seeing a not severe case of disease, and those seeing a severe case of disease. Logistic regression models estimated the association between experience and acceptance of a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine (pre-rollout) or actual vaccination (post-rollout). We explored perceived susceptibility as a potential mediator. Intent to vaccinate was lowest in the US and Taiwan, and highest in India, Indonesia, and China. Across all countries, seeing a severe case of COVID-19 in the media was associated with 1.72 times higher odds of vaccination intent in 2020 (95% CI: 1.46, 2.02) and 2.13 times higher odds of vaccination in 2021 (95% CI: 1.70, 2.67), compared to those not seeing a case or a less severe case. Perceived susceptibility was estimated to mediate 25% of the relationship with hypothetical vaccination (95% CI: 18%, 31%, P

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to assess the relationship between personal experiences and vaccine decision-making. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between experiences with COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination status. We administered 28 repeated cross-sectional, online surveys between June 2020 and June 2021 in the US and Asia. The main exposure was media showing COVID-19 cases, and we distinguished those with no such experience, those seeing a not severe case of disease, and those seeing a severe case of disease. Logistic regression models estimated the association between experience and acceptance of a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine (pre-rollout) or actual vaccination (post-rollout). We explored perceived susceptibility as a potential mediator. Intent to vaccinate was lowest in the US and Taiwan, and highest in India, Indonesia, and China. Across all countries, seeing a severe case of COVID-19 in the media was associated with 1.72 times higher odds of vaccination intent in 2020 (95% CI: 1.46, 2.02) and 2.13 times higher odds of vaccination in 2021 (95% CI: 1.70, 2.67), compared to those not seeing a case or a less severe case. Perceived susceptibility was estimated to mediate 25% of the relationship with hypothetical vaccination (95% CI: 18%, 31%, P

Majority of visual statistical learning (VSL) research uses only offline measures, collected after the familiarization phase (i.e., learning) has occurred. Offline measures have revealed a lot about the extent of statistical learning (SL) but less is known about the learning mechanisms that support VSL. Studies have shown that prediction can be a potential learning mechanism for VSL, but it is difficult to examine the role of prediction in VSL using offline measures alone. Pupil diameter is a promising online measure to index prediction in VSL because it can be collected during learning, requires no overt action or task and can be used in a wide-range of populations (e.g., infants and adults). Furthermore, pupil diameter has already been used to investigate processes that are part of prediction such as prediction error and updating. While the properties of pupil diameter have the potentially to powerfully expand studies in VSL, through a series of three experiments, we find that the two are not compatible with each other. Our results revealed that pupil diameter, used to index prediction, is not related to offline measures of learning. We also found that pupil differences that appear to be a result of prediction, are actually a result of where we chose to baseline instead. Ultimately, we conclude that the fast-paced nature of VSL paradigms make it incompatible with the slow nature of pupil change. Therefore, our findings suggest pupillometry should not be used to investigate learning mechanisms in fast-paced VSL tasks.

Several COVID-19 vaccines have been on the market since early 2021 and may vary in their effectiveness and safety. This study characterizes hesitancy about accepting COVID-19 vaccines among parents in Shanghai, China, and identifies how sensitive they are to changes in vaccine safety and effectiveness profiles. Schools in each township of Minhang District, Shanghai, were sampled, and parents in the WeChat group of each school were asked to participate in this cross-sectional Internet-based survey. Parents responded to questions about hesitancy and were given information about five different COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the effectiveness of which varied between 50 and 95% and which had a risk of fever as a side effect between 5 and 20%. Overall, 3673 parents responded to the survey. Almost 90% would accept a vaccine for themselves (89.7%), for their child (87.5%) or for an elderly parent (88.5%) with the most ideal attributes (95% effectiveness with 5% risk of fever). But with the least ideal attributes (50% effectiveness and a 20% risk of fever) these numbers dropped to 33.5%, 31.3%, and 31.8%, respectively. Vaccine hesitancy, age at first child’s birth, and relative income were all significantly related to sensitivity to vaccine safety and effectiveness. Parents showed a substantial shift in attitudes towards a vaccine based on its safety and effectiveness profile. These findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccine acceptance may be heavily influenced by how effective the vaccine actually is and could be impeded or enhanced based on vaccines already on the market.