AUTHOR=Phares Timothy W. , Kotraiah Vinayaka , Karunarathne Deshapriya S. , Huang Jing , Browne Cecille D. , Buontempo Peter , Mansour Marc , Noe Amy R. , Wykes Michelle N. , Pannucci James , Tsuji Moriya , Gutierrez Gabriel M. TITLE=A Peptide-Based PD1 Antagonist Enhances T-Cell Priming and Efficacy of a Prophylactic Malaria Vaccine and Promotes Survival in a Lethal Malaria Model JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01377 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2020.01377 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=
The blockade of programmed cell death-1 (PD1) and its ligand PDL1 has been proven to be a successful immunotherapy against several cancers. Similar to cancer, PD1 contributes to the establishment of several chronic infectious diseases, including malaria. While monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting checkpoint receptors are revolutionary in cancer treatment, the immune-related adverse events (irAEs) may prevent their utilization in prophylactic and therapeutic treatments of infectious diseases. The irAEs are, in part, due to the prolonged half-life of mAbs resulting in prolonged activation of the immune system. As an alternative modality to mAbs, peptides represent a viable option because they possess a shorter pharmacokinetic half-life and offer more formulation and delivery options. Here, we report on a 22-amino acid immunomodulatory peptide, LD01, derived from a