Antiviral memory T follicular cells as a correlate of vaccination efficacy
Recognition of T follicular helper (Tfh) cell signatures associated with enhanced vaccine-induced immunity is crucial for developing effective vaccines and utilizing Tfh as a predictive biomarker. This project aims to analyze antigen-specific Tfh cells in relation to initial germinal center (GC) responses and subsequent humoral/B cell memory formation in mice immunized with various vaccine formulations. To achieve this, mice will be immunized with licensed protein vaccines containing different adjuvants and experimental DNA/mRNA vaccines. After immunization, i) the dynamic and cellular compositions of GCs; ii) the quality (subclass/avidity/maintenance) and quantity of induced antibody responses; iii) and the formation of long-lived plasma cells and B cell memory pools will be analyzed side-by-side. Additionally, Tfh cells will be isolated from the splenic GCs and blood of the vaccinated mice for in-depth single-cell multi-omics analyses.
