Agbenyega T, Schuind AE, Adjei S, Antony K, Aponte JJ, Buabeng PBY, Clemens JD, Hossain L, Kemp TJ, Mercer LD, Pinto LA, Qadri F, Sukraw K, Bhat N, Zaman K. Immunogenicity and safety of an Escherichia coli-produced bivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (Cecolin) in girls aged 9-14 years in Ghana and Bangladesh: a randomised, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2025 Mar 19:S1473-3099(25)00031-3.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00031-3
Editorial comment: This randomized, controlled, open-label, phase 3 non-inferiority trial enrolled healthy girls aged 9–14 years at single study sites in Ghana and Bangladesh. Participants were randomly assigned, via an interactive web response system, in equal proportions to one of five study groups, stratified by site: two doses of the bivalent HPV vaccine (2vHPV, types 16 and 18) administered at baseline and at 6, 12, or 24 months; a single dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV) at baseline followed by 2vHPV at 24 months; or the reference schedule of two doses of 4vHPV administered 6 months apart.
HPV-16 and HPV-18 specific binding antibody levels were measured by ELISA at baseline, immediately before, and one month after the second dose. The extended two-dose regimens of 2vHPV demonstrated non-inferior immune responses, supporting greater dosing flexibility. Notably, a single dose of 2vHPV induced antibody responses comparable to those of a single dose of 4vHPV—which has demonstrated clinical efficacy—further supporting the potential for a single-dose 2vHPV schedule. These findings are particularly significant given the substantially lower cost of this new bivalent HPV vaccine, offering a promising and affordable option for broader implementation, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Heidecker B, Libby P, Vassiliou VS, Roubille F, Vardeny O, Hassager C, Gatzoulis MA, Mamas MA, Cooper LT, Schoenrath F, Metra M, Amir O, Solomon SD, Landmesser U, Lüscher TF. Vaccination as a new form of cardiovascular prevention: a European Society of Cardiology clinical consensus statement. Eur Heart J. 2025 Jun 30:ehaf384.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf384
Editorial comment: This clinical consensus statement from the European Society of Cardiology reviews current literature and available evidence to provide practical guidance on vaccination timing and target populations, with a particular focus on individuals with cardiovascular conditions. It addresses complex clinical scenarios and offers recommendations for vaccinating vulnerable groups, including immunocompromised individuals, patients with congenital heart disease, and pregnant women. The document also discusses vaccine safety and potential complications in these populations.
Asl FM, Ghaffari P, Safari M. The relationship between the recurrence rate of genital warts and administration of quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccine in women. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 Feb;111(2):116607.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116607
Editorial comment: In this cohort study conducted in Iran, 203 women with genital warts who were referred to the gynecology clinic at Shahid Muftah Hospital in Yasuj between 2019 and 2022 were examined and treated by a gynecologist. After treatment, participants were trained and advised to receive three doses of the Gardasil vaccine. Of the initial cohort, 138 women completed the study. They were divided into two groups: those who received all three doses of the Gardasil vaccine (vaccinated group) and those who did not (unvaccinated group).
Recurrence of genital warts was observed in 8 women (11.6%) in the vaccinated group, compared to 15 women (21.7%) in the unvaccinated group (p = 0.11). Overall, recurrence occurred in 23 participants (16.7%). The average time to recurrence was significantly longer in the vaccinated group (43.6 ± 24.7 weeks) compared to the unvaccinated group (16.4 ± 16.5 weeks; p ≤ 0.017), highlighting the potential preventive effect of the Gardasil vaccine against recurrence of genital warts.
Dong C, Li Z, Tan D, Sun H, Liang J, Wei D, Zheng Y, Zhang L, Liu S, Zhang Y, et al. Research and Clinical Progress of Therapeutic Tumor Vaccines. Vaccines. 2025; 13(7):672.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070672
Editorial comment: This excellent review summarizes the latest developments in immunotherapy and therapeutic vaccines for various solid tumors, while also providing insights into future directions in the field.
Muthukutty P, Woo HY, Yoo SY. Therapeutic Colorectal Cancer Vaccines: Emerging Modalities and Translational Opportunities. Vaccines. 2025; 13(7):689.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070689
Editorial comment: New vaccine platforms and translational advances in colorectal cancer therapy.
Shim I, Rogowski L, Venketaraman V. Progress and Recent Developments in HIV Vaccine Research. Vaccines. 2025; 13(7):690.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070690
Editorial comment: A strong review of the lessons learned, and the current and future landscape of HIV vaccine development.
Mutua MM, Kathiiko C, Wachira MN, Muriithi B, Nyangao J, Khamadi SA, Komoto S, Morita K, Ichinose Y, Wandera EA. Epidemiological trends of diarrheal viruses in central and western Kenya before and after Rotavirus vaccine introduction. Trop Med Health. 2025 Apr 27;53(1):60.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-025-00716-6
Editorial comment: In this retrospective, population-based study conducted in Kenya, mass rotavirus vaccination did not alter the prevalence of adenovirus, astrovirus, or norovirus-related diarrhea. However, a shift in the age distribution of diarrheal cases was observed in some regions. These findings highlight the ongoing burden and evolving epidemiology of enteric viruses in Western and Central Kenya, underscoring the importance of continued surveillance to inform the design and implementation of effective public health interventions.
Ingrole RSJ, Shakya AK, Joshi G, Lee CH, Nesovic LD, Compans RW, Gill HS. Floss-based vaccination targets the gingival sulcus for mucosal and systemic immunization. Nat Biomed Eng. 2025 Jul 22.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-025-01451-3
Editorial comment: In this study, in mice, gold nanoparticles functionalized with a peptide derived from the ectodomain of the transmembrane matrix 2 protein of human influenza virus stimulated local lymph nodes, increased CD4+T cells in lymph nodes, lungs and spleen, and boosted antibody-secreting cells in the bone marrow. Floss-based immunization induced strong and sustained immune activation across multiple organs, robust systemic and mucosal antibody responses, and durable protection against lethal influenza infection, independent of age, food and liquid consumption. Floss-based vaccination was superior to sublingual and comparable with intranasal vaccination. In human participants, fluorescent dye delivered via floss picks effectively reached gingival sulcus, supporting clinical feasibility. These findings establish floss-based vaccination as a simple, needle-free strategy that enhances vaccine delivery and immune activation compared with existing mucosal immunization methods.
El Hindi T, Anugulruengkitt S, Lapphra K, Limkittikul K, Tangsathapornpong A, Galindo-Tsoukas C, Hellwig M, Roubinis N, Schuring R, Biswal S, Folschweiller N. Immunogenicity and safety of the live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (TAK-003) co-administered with recombinant 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine. Vaccine. 2025 Jul 31;62:127558.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127558
Editorial comment: In this phase 3, open-label, randomized, multicenter trial was conducted in Thailand to investigate the immunogenicity and safety of co-administration of TAK-003 with 9vHPV in healthy participants aged ≥9 to <15 years, the concurrent administration of both vaccines resulted in same immunogenicity and similar safety profiles.
Mallapaty S. mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people. Nature. 2025 Aug 1.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02439-4
Editorial comment: Results from early-stage trial show that 80% of participants who received one of two HIV vaccine candidates produced antibodies against viral proteins. Two vaccine candidates using mRNA technology elicit a potent immune response against HIV, according to an early-stage clinical trial1.
The trial is only the third to test mRNA vaccines against HIV.
Latham, Ned H et al. Clinical features of mpox in fully vaccinated people in New South Wales, Australia: an outbreak investigation and retrospective cohort study. The Lancet Primary Care, Volume 0, Issue 0, 100018.
Editorial comment: In this study, 674 people (673 [99%] assigned male at birth and 669 [99%] identified as men; 17 [3%] identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) were diagnosed with mpox (excluding one reinfection). In fully vaccinated people, the median time between dose two and symptom onset was 21·8 months (IQR 19·5–23·0). Compared with unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated people were less likely to be hospitalized (risk ratio 0·11 [95% CI 0·03–0·43]), have extragenital lesions (0·45 [0·36–0·56]) or systemic symptoms (0·72 [0·64–0·80]). A two-dose MVA-BN series continued to protect against extragenital lesions, systemic symptoms, and hospitalization beyond the point at which antibodies have been found to wane.
Chia SB, Johnson BJ, Hu J, Valença-Pereira F, Chadeau-Hyam M, Guntoro F, Montgomery H, Boorgula MP, Sreekanth V, Goodspeed A, Davenport B, De Dominici M, Zaberezhnyy V, Schleicher WE, Gao D, Cadar AN, Petriz-Otaño L, Papanicolaou M, Beheshti A, Baylin SB, Guarnieri JW, Wallace DC, Costello JC, Bartley JM, Morrison TE, Vermeulen R, Aguirre-Ghiso JA, Rincon M, DeGregori J. Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs. Nature. 2025 Jul 30.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09332-0
Editorial comment: In this study performed in mice, phenotypic transitions and expansions are interleukin-6 dependent. The authors showed that dormant disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) impair lung T cell activation and that CD4+ T cells sustain the pulmonary metastatic burden after the influenza infection by inhibiting CD8+ T cell activation and cytotoxicity. Crucially, these experimental findings align with human observational data. Analyses of cancer survivors from the UK Biobank (all cancers) and Flatiron Health (breast cancer) databases reveal that SARS-CoV-2 infection substantially increases the risk of cancer-related mortality and lung metastasis compared with uninfected cancer survivors.
Kulkarni PS, Potey AV, Kapse D, Bhamare C, Gawande A, Munshi R, Pawar S, Gogtay NJ, Agarwal A, Tambe M, Thakre S, Samuel CJ, Khan SMS, S RH, Rana D, Singh N, Kamath V, Bhalla HL, Poonawalla CS, Mani RS, Gunale B; RAB-04 study group. Post-exposure prophylaxis regimen of rabies monoclonal antibody and vaccine in category 3 potential exposure patients: a phase 4, open-label, randomised, active-controlled trial. Lancet. 2025 Aug 9;406(10503):627-635.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00735-4
Editorial comment: In this clinical trial, 3,994 participants received post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) (3,001 male and 993 female). Of these, 2,996 were treated with rabies monoclonal antibody (RmAb) plus purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV), and 998 received equine rabies immunoglobulin (ERIG) plus PVRV. A total of 3,622 participants (90.7%) completed the one-year follow-up. RmAb was safe and well tolerated and showed protective efficacy against rabies. A PEP regimen containing RmAb plus PVRV was immunogenic with long-term persistence of immune response.
Fakhraei R, Fell DB, El-Chaâr D, Thampi N, Sander B, Brown KA, Crowcroft N, Bolotin S, Barrett J, Darling EK, Fittipaldi N, Lamagni T, McGeer A, Murti M, Sadarangani M, Schwartz KL, Yasseen A, Tunis M, Petrcich W, Wilson K. Group B Streptococcus disease during infancy and risk of subsequent neurodevelopmental impairments in young children: a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2025 Jul 2;48:101170.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2025.101170
Editorial comment: In this study, researchers from Canada performed a population-based cohort study of liveborn infants in Ontario between April 2012 and March 2018, using linked birth registry, laboratory, and health administrative databases. GBS disease in the first year of life was ascertained through culture results and diagnostic codes. NDIs, encompassing cognitive, motor, sensory (hearing, vision), and social/behavioral domains, were ascertained up to five years of age using diagnostic codes. Of 764,934 infants, 771 had a history of GBS disease. GBS survivors had a twofold increased risk of any NDI (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 2.18 [95% CI: 1.88, 2.54]) and higher rates of cognitive (aHR: 2.79 [95% CI: 2.37, 3.30]), motor (aHR: 7.08 [95% CI: 2.93, 17.08]), social/behavioural (aHR: 1.60 [95% CI: 1.20, 2.14]), and sensory (aHR: 1.64 [95% CI: 1.02, 2.64]) impairments.
da Cruz Ferreira DA, Freitas LP, Lowe R, Souza GD, Fujiwara RT, Martins Lana R. Introduction, establishment, and distribution of Aedes aegypti and dengue in a temperate capital of Brazil: a retrospective surveillance-based study. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2025 Jun 23;48:101153.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2025.101153
Editorial comment: Ae. aegypti successfully established and spread within a temperate city in Brazil. The presence of vectors, a susceptible population and socio-environmental characteristics conducive to mosquito proliferation resulted in autochthonous transmission of dengue fever after the continuous introduction of imported cases. The climatic barrier to dengue transmission in the south of Brazil has shifted southward, coinciding with the colonisation of Ae. aegypti and the emergence of dengue in recent years in Porto Alegre.
Jia X, Deng JZ, Winters MA, Paulines MJ, Tong W, Cannon E, Biba M, Zhuang P. Characterization of pneumococcal conjugates in vaccine process development by multi-detection hydrodynamic chromatography. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2025 Aug 15;261:116826.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2025.116826
Editorial comment: Proper protein–polysaccharide conjugation is essential for eliciting a stronger immune response and providing higher and longer-lasting protection in all current pneumococcal vaccines. This study demonstrates, using multidetection hydrodynamic chromatography, that this complex process reduces separation and promotes a more stable and durable binding.
Hernandez-Ruiz YG, Lopatynsky-Reyes EZ, Ulloa-Gutierrez R, Avila-Agüero ML, Rodriguez-
Makhoul M, Abu-Raddad LJ. Vaccination as a strategy for Chlamydia trachomatis control: a global mathematical modeling analysis. BMC Glob Public Health. 2025 Jul 25;3(1):65.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s44263-025-00181-7
Editorial comment: Using a deterministic, age-structured mathematical model, vaccinating individuals aged 15–49 years starting in 2030 with a vaccine of 50% efficacy and 20-year duration of protection, scaled to 80% coverage by 2040, is projected to reduce global Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence, incidence, and annual new infections in 2050 by 26.2%, 32.3%, and 26.5%, respectively. In total, 717 million infections are estimated to be averted by 2050.
Beyrer C, Ratevosian J, Gelderblom H, Rosenberg NE. The HIV/AIDS pandemic: where are we now? AIDS. 2025 Sep 1;39(11):1497-1504.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000004308
Editorial comment: Despite expanded access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the growing availability of prevention tools such as oral and long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), progress toward the UNAIDS 2025 targets has stalled. HIV incidence remains unacceptably high in key populations and regions, while treatment coverage gaps and preventable deaths persist. The abrupt suspension in 2025 of U.S. foreign aid programs—including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—has further disrupted service delivery, especially for prevention initiatives and marginalized groups. This editorial examines the structural, political, and programmatic shortcomings that contributed to the missed targets and underscores the heightened risks posed by these policy reversals.
Hernandez-Ruiz YG, Lopatynsky-Reyes EZ, Ulloa-Gutierrez R, Avila-Agüero ML, Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Basa JE, Nikiema FW, Chacon-Cruz E. 100-Day Mission for Future Pandemic Vaccines, Viewed Through the Lens of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Vaccines. 2025 Jul 21;13(7):773.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13070773
Editorial comment: The 100-Day Mission, spearheaded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and endorsed by major international stakeholders, seeks to reduce the time required to develop and deploy vaccines to within 100 days of identifying a novel pathogen. This ambitious target is presented as a critical first step toward strengthening global pandemic preparedness. This review examines the mission’s potential for implementation and the challenges it may face, with particular attention to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where barriers to equitable vaccine access remain significant. Drawing on lessons from past pandemics—including the Spanish flu, H1N1, and COVID-19—this article explores the scientific, economic, political, and social dimensions that could shape the mission’s success.
Ortiz-Prado E, Kyriakidis NC, López-Cortés A, Vasconez-Gonzalez J, Suarez I, Pazmiño-Almeida J, Barriga-Collantes M, Cadena MP, Reascos-Arteaga M, Acosta-Muñoz E, Acosta-Muñoz MC, Villarreal K, Izquierdo-Condoy JS. Current and emerging Mpox vaccine strategies: A comprehensive review. Vaccine. 2025 Aug 9;62:127598.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127598
Editorial comment: This comprehensive review covers not only the three currently licensed vaccines against MPOX but also highlights the next generation of vaccine candidates in development—including mRNA, subunit, nanovaccine, and other innovative platforms—targeting this critical global public health challenge.
