In The main GeKoSkimm trial (= A randomized controlled trial to compare the immunogenicity and skin imprinting of intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular yellow fever vaccination) the investigators try to understand whether the route of injection (in the muscle, under the skin, or in the skin) when giving the yellow fever vaccine affects the strength of the body's immune response to yellow fever. More in particular the investigators want to know how well the immune responses are retained in the skin, as this is the place where the virus enters the body after a mosquito bite. This will be important for vaccines against infections transmitted via bites of mosquitoes and ticks, such as yellow fever virus. Because this is the first attempt on human samples and only skin samples after vaccination with yellow fever vaccine are available, the investigators want to assess the baseline or background immune response in 'unvaccinated' skin. Therefore, 40 volunteers will be recruited that have not been previously vaccinated against yellow fever and will not receive a yellow fever vaccine during this study. The participant will be requested to provide two skin samples from the upper arm and a blood sample to confirm their vaccination status regarded to yellow fever.
Since baseline punch biopsies were not preferred nor incorporated in the GeKoSkimm trial (= A randomized controlled trial to compare the immunogenicity and skin imprinting of intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular yellow fever vaccination) due to ethical and logistical reasons, studying tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells in a group of healthy unvaccinated participants is necessary to assess natural baseline levels of TRM cells in the skin before vaccination. The presence TRM cells in healthy and unvaccinated individuals provides a fundamental understanding of normal immune function and biological variability. This baseline data is essential for interpreting responses to vaccination in the GeKoSkimm trial and detecting any deviations or abnormalities that may arise and assess the baseline or background immune response in 'unvaccinated' skin. Therefore, 40 volunteers will be recruited that have not been previously vaccinated against yellow fever and will not receive a yellow fever vaccine during this study. The study consists of two study visits with 14 days (+/- 10 days) between each visit. Blood sampling of 15 mL is performed on the first visit (1X 10 mL Li-Hep + 5 mL SST) to confirm the vaccination status against yellow fever virus (YFV). Participants who turn out positive on the YFV virus neutralization test will be retrospectively excluded from analyses, and replaced with new participants. Skin biopsy sampling (2X 4 mm punch biopsy) in the upper arm is performed only on the second visit, with additional microsampling (microbiopsy and wound blood sampling).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
2 x 4mm skin punch biopsies in the upper arm will be taken from each participant at visit 2 with additional microsampling (microbiopsy and wound blood sampling)
Blood sampling of 15 mL (10mL Lithium-Heparine + 5 mL SST) is performed on Visit 1 to confirm their vaccination status regarded to yellow fever
Clinical Trial Site of the Institute of Tropical Medicine
Antwerp, Belgium
Estimate the baseline number and proportion of skin-resident memory T cells against YFV (YFV-TRM) in the skin of unvaccinated and healthy volunteers against YFV
The number and proportion of YFV-specific T cells within the skin-resident lymphocyte parent population at visit 2, measured by flow cytometry.
Time frame: Day 14 (Visit 2)
Estimate the baseline number and proportion of circulating effector- (YFV-TEM) and central-memory T cells against YFV (YFV-TCM) in the blood of unvaccinated and healthy volunteers against YFV
The number and proportion of circulating YFV-specific TCM and TEM cells within the CD3+ lymphocyte parent population at visit 1
Time frame: Day 0 (Visit 1)
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