When designing vaccines, consider the starting material: the human B cell repertoire.

When designing vaccines, consider the starting material: the human B cell repertoire. Curr Opin Immunol. 2018 Sep 03;: Authors: Havenar-Daughton C, Abbott RK, Schief WR, Crotty S Abstract Most viral vaccines provide protection from infection through the generation of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). The repertoire of B cells responding to immunization is the starting material from which nAbs eventually arise. Immunization strategies are increasingly targeting precise B cell specificities to mimic nAbs generated during natural infection, in an effort to maximize the potency of the vaccine-elicited Ab response. An understanding of the human B cell specificities capable of immunogen recognition can aid in immunogen design and inform decision-making for clinical advancement. Here, we review what is known about antigen-specific and epitope-specific naive B cell repertoires in humans and mice, and we consider the challenges for identifying and analyzing antigen-specific naive B cell repertoires. Finally, we provide a framework for further exploration, interpretation, utilization of the B cell repertoire to facilitate vaccine discovery. PMID: 30190230 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Immunol Source Type: research