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Respiratory Mucosal Delivery of a COVID-19 Vaccine Requires Both B and T Cell-Mediated Immunity – Hosted by Taconic Biosciences

April 26, 2022 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Dr. Sam Afkhami, Research Scientist at McMaster University led the preclinical studies towards developing a trivalent vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for respiratory mucosal delivery. This vaccine, which is currently in clinical trials being led by Dr. Afkhami, is effective against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 as well as emerging variants.

In this webinar, Dr. Afkhami will describe key data from the preclinical studies as well as the murine models used and why they were selected. A particular focus will be on Taconic’s B cell-deficient Jh (BALB/c) mouse model, and the questions to consider when selecting the best immunodeficient model for your studies.

Attend this webinar to learn about:

  • Preclinical studies that led to the development of a novel COVID-19 vaccine currently in clinical trials
  • Applications of Taconic’s B cell-deficient Jh mice for infectious disease and vaccine efficacy studies
  • Murine models of lymphodepletion and how to choose a model for your studies

 

Dr. Sam Afkhami

Dr. Sam Afkhami is a research scientist in the lab of Dr. Zhou Xing at McMaster University where he specializes in the development of vaccines and vaccination strategies against emergent respiratory pathogens. Dr. Afkhami learned his doctorate at the same institution where he was actively engaged in numerous immunological arms of research, with a specific focus on developing and testing host-directed therapies for pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) in preclinical models. In addition, Dr. Afkhami was actively involved in a recently completed and published phase 1 clinical study assessing the safety and immunogenicity of adenoviral-vectored TB vaccines delivered by aerosol inhalation. Shortly following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Afkhami and his colleagues have translated their expertise of respiratory mucosal immunity and vaccinology to generate two next-generation COVID-19 vaccines targeted at providing broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Dr. Afkhami is currently spearheading both the preclinical and recently initiated clinical trial investigating the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of these two vaccine candidates as boosters delivered by aerosol inhalation.

Details

Date:
April 26, 2022
Time:
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Website:
https://bit.ly/3iW7AKU