Immunogenicity and safety of a 12-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in infants aged 6-10 weeks: a randomized double-blind active-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal diseases among children aged <5 years worldwide are associated with high annual mortality rates. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of GBP411, a 12-valent pneumococcal conjugant vaccine, with a dosing schedule of 2 primary doses plus 1 booster dose (2p+1) in healthy infants. METHODS: This randomized active-controlled (Prevnar 13) double-blind phase 2 trial enrolled healthy subjects aged 6-10 weeks. Three serum concentrations of pneumococcal serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) were evaluated using the pneumococcal serotype-specific pneumonia polysaccharide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at 1 month after the primary doses and before and 1 month after the booster dose. The pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG titer was evaluated using a multiplex opsonophagocytic assay in a subset of 15 subjects per group. RESULTS: After administration of the primary doses, the proportion of subjects who achieved pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG concentrations of >0.35 µg/mL was lower for some serotypes in the GBP411 group than in the comparator group (6B: 20.83% vs. 39.22%, P=0.047 and 19A: 58.33% vs. 90.20%, P<0.001). However, after administration of the booster dose, >97% of the subjects in each group achieved IgG concentrations of ≥0.35 µg/mL for all 12 serotypes. Increased immunogenicity was observed for some serotypes that showed significant intergroup differences after administration of the primary doses but not after the booster dose. We also found no significant intergroup difference in the overall incidence of solicited local adverse events. Furthermore, the overall incidence of solicited systemic adverse events was significantly lower in the GBP411 group than in the comparator vaccine group (79.59% vs. 98.04%; P=0.003). CONCLUSION: The GBP411 vaccine with a dosing schedule of 2p+1 may be immunogenic and safe for healthy infants.

Synthesis of Fused Polycyclic 1,4-Benzodiazepines via Metal-Free Cascade [5 + 2]/[2 + 2] Cycloadditions.

A metal-catalyst-free, mild, and efficient synthetic protocol for polycyclic 1,4-benzodiazepines via cascade [5 + 2]/[2 + 2] cycloadditions between pyridinium zwitterions and arynes is reported. Mechanistic experiments revealed that pyridinium zwitterions act as 1,5-dipoles in [5 + 2] cycloadditions with arynes for the construction of 1,4-benzodiazepines, which further undergo [2 + 2] cycloaddition resulting in the one-pot formation of one C-N bond and three C-C bonds.

Comparative evaluation of a newly developed 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in a mouse model.

Animal models facilitate evaluation of vaccine efficacy at relatively low cost. This study was a comparative evaluation of the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) with a control vaccine in a mouse model. After vaccination, anti-capsular antibody levels were evaluated by pneumococcal polysaccharide (PnP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPA). Also, mice were challenged intraperitoneally with 100-fold of the 50% lethal dose of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The anti-capsular IgG levels against serotypes 1, 4, 7F, 14, 18C, 19A, and 19F were high (quartile 2 >1,600), while those against the other serotypes were low (Q2 ≤ 800). Also, the OPA titres were similar to those determined by PnP ELISA. Comparative analysis between new PCV13 and control vaccination group in a mouse model exhibited significant differences in serological immunity of a few serotypes and the range of anti-capsular IgG in the population. Challenge of wild-type or neutropenic mice with serotypes 3, 5, 6A, 6B, and 9V showed protective immunity despite of induced relatively low levels of anti-capsular antibodies. With comparison analysis, a mouse model should be adequate for evaluating serological efficacy and difference in the population level as preclinical trial.

Multicomponent [5 + 2] cycloaddition reaction for the synthesis of 1,4-diazepines: isolation and reactivity of azomethine ylides.

Air-stable azomethine ylides with an unusual pattern of charge distribution were efficiently prepared via the rhodium-catalyzed reaction between pyridines and 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles. This reaction allowed for the first example of the catalytic multicomponent [5 + 2] cycloaddition reactions, thus resulting in the formation of biologically active 1,4-diazepine compounds.

A Rh-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective route to enamides: benzamides as assembling reagents.

A new protocol for the synthesis of fully substituted enaminones has been achieved using a diverse range of benzamides and 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles. Selective removal of the ß-amino moiety of the obtained α-amido-enaminones to form Z-enamides was also demonstrated thus improving the synthetic value of benzamides for structural diversities in a minimum number of synthetic steps.