Scholars@Duke
Melissa Harnois

Selected Publications

Interrogating post-transplant donor HLA-specific antibody characteristics and effector functions using clinical bead assays.

Journal Article Hum Immunol · November 2024 Single antigen bead (SAB) assays are the most common and sensitive method used to detect and monitor post-transplant donor specific HLA antibodies (DSA). However, a direct comparison across traditional and modified SAB assays to improve routine DSA monitor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vaccination with a replication-defective cytomegalovirus vaccine elicits a glycoprotein B-specific monoclonal antibody repertoire distinct from natural infection.

Journal Article NPJ Vaccines · October 10, 2023 Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious congenital infection globally and the most common viral infection in transplant recipients, therefore identifying a vaccine for HCMV is a top priority. Humoral immunity is a correlate of protection for ... Full text Link to item Cite

A single, improbable B cell receptor mutation confers potent neutralization against cytomegalovirus.

Journal Article PLoS Pathog · January 2023 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a leading cause of infant hearing loss and neurodevelopmental delay, but there are no clinically licensed vaccines to prevent infection, in part due to challenges eliciting neutralizing antibodies. One of the most well-studied targ ... Full text Link to item Cite

Addition of interleukin-6 receptor blockade to carfilzomib-based desensitization in a highly sensitized nonhuman primate model.

Journal Article Am J Transplant · December 2022 Sensitized patients, those who had prior exposure to foreign human leukocyte antigens, are transplanted at lower rates due to challenges in finding suitable organs. Desensitization strategies have permitted highly sensitized patients to undergo kidney tran ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of Plasma Immunoglobulin G Responses in Elite Neutralizers of Human Cytomegalovirus.

Journal Article J Infect Dis · November 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common infectious complication of organ transplantation and cause of birth defects worldwide. There are limited therapeutic options and no licensed vaccine to prevent HCMV infection or disease. To inform ... Full text Link to item Cite

Loss of Zfp335 triggers cGAS/STING-dependent apoptosis of post-β selection thymocytes.

Journal Article Nat Commun · October 6, 2022 Production of a functional peripheral T cell compartment typically involves massive expansion of the bone marrow progenitors that seed the thymus. There are two main phases of expansion during T cell development, following T lineage commitment of double-ne ... Full text Link to item Cite

Maternal Fc-mediated non-neutralizing antibody responses correlate with protection against congenital human cytomegalovirus infection.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · August 15, 2022 Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital infection and a leading cause of stillbirth, neurodevelopmental impairment, and pediatric hearing loss worldwide. Development of a maternal vaccine or therapeutic to prevent congenital HCMV has bee ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Measuring the Impact of Targeting FcRn-Mediated IgG Recycling on Donor-Specific Alloantibodies in a Sensitized NHP Model.

Journal Article Front Immunol · 2021 BACKGROUND: In transplantation, plasmapheresis and IVIg provide the mainstay of treatment directed at reducing or removing circulating donor-specific antibody (DSA), yet both have limitations. We sought to test the efficacy of targeting the IgG recycling m ... Full text Link to item Cite