IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Molecular and cellular regulation of inflammation

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker described a new, unpublished study showing that a fungal mannan-based formulation mixed with alum (“menadjuvant”) can boost RNA vaccine responses. In mice, combining menadjuvant with Pfizer’s mRNA COVID vaccine did not disrupt vaccine stability, but it greatly increased anti-spike antibodies, neutralization, and germinal center activity, with effects lasting up to 500 days. It also broadened immunity to variants such as BA.5 and XBB.1.5 and reduced antigenic imprinting, especially when used with updated vaccines. Mechanistically, the adjuvant triggered local inflammasome activation and prolonged type I/II interferon signaling in draining lymph nodes, without increasing systemic inflammation. Blocking these pathways reduced the benefit. Similar immune-enhancing effects were seen in human dendritic cells and non-human primates, supporting the idea that menadjuvant could improve RNA vaccine durability and breadth while maintaining safety.

Meta Tag

Date April 17, 2026 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Room 151

Session Translating Human Immunology Through Cytokine Research, Sponsored by the Intl. Cytokine and Interferon Soc. (ICIS)

Speaker Ivan Zanoni

Track Cytokines and Chemokines and their Receptors (CCR)

Year 2026

Keywords

fungal mannan adjuvant

mRNA vaccine

anti-spike antibodies

variant breadth

inflammasome interferon signaling

April 17, 2026 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM

151

Translating Human Immunology Through Cytokine Research, Sponsored by the Intl. Cytokine and Interferon Soc. (ICIS)

Ivan Zanoni

Cytokines and Chemokines and their Receptors (CCR)

2026