Research
The latest issue of COVID is an all-around JABSOM production as the featured research and cover design comes from JABSOM students, postdocs, and faculty.
The study aims to improve vaccines for people with metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes, two conditions that make people more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The research was conducted by former Postdoctoral fellow and current MS3 Brent Fujimoto and PhD alumni Olivia Smith in the laboratory of Professor Dr. Axel Lehrer. Dr. Brien Haun, now a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. John Berestecky at Kapiʻolani Community College also contributed to the study and designed the cover art. Funded by the Victoria S. and Bradley L. Geist Foundation, administered by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the JABSOM researchers studied how different COVID-19 vaccine platforms work in mice with obesity or diabetes. While vaccines have helped reduce hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the overall population, potential differences in the immune responses to different vaccine platforms prompted them to investigate how effective they are for people with these increasingly prevalent health conditions.
To model the vaccine responses, they tested how vaccines affect immune responses in mice with obesity and diabetes (type 1 and type 2) and in these studies found that all three conditions led to weaker immune responses after vaccination, especially in diabetic mice, but also noticeable in obese mice.
“Obese and diabetic mice exhibited weaker immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, with reduced antibody production and impaired cell-mediated immunity compared to healthy mice,” Smith said. “In other terms, their bodies didn’t produce as many protective antibodies or immune cells compared to healthy mice. However, mRNA vaccines did elicit stronger neutralizing responses across all metabolic conditions, while adjuvanted subunit vaccines improved antibody avidity in obese and diabetic mice. This shows us that mRNA vaccines can still be good at blocking virus responses and the CoVaccine adjuvanted subunit vaccine helps strengthen the quality of antibodies in obese and diabetic mice, making them better at recognizing and attaching to the virus.”
mRNA vaccines, routinely used to vaccinate against COVID-19, showed very specific and strong virus neutralizing antibody responses in all of the mice, no matter their metabolic condition.
“The data reinforce that mRNA vaccines remain highly effective across different metabolic conditions, but individuals with obesity or diabetes might require additional doses or targeted interventions to optimize immune responses. This could be crucial for ensuring effective protection against COVID-19,” Fujimoto said.
Another type of vaccine, an adjuvanted subunit vaccine, created at JABSOM, seemed to improve vaccine responses in diabetic and obese mice, especially in terms of producing longer lasting and stronger binding antibodies. This suggests that chronic inflammation, which is common in obesity and diabetes, might be making the immune system less effective in responding to certain types of vaccines.
"Excess inflammation caused by metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes can impair the body's ability to fight infections,” Fujimoto said. “By improving metabolic health, we can help individuals build stronger, more protective immune responses."
The JABSOM research is featured in the January issue of COVID, and Haun conceived and created the cover art.
“The cover art draws inspiration from the ancient principles of harmony and duality, embodied in Zen philosophy and the Roman god Janus. Just as immune responses exist in a delicate balance—capable of protection yet vulnerable to dysfunction—this image reflects the contrast between resilience and fragility. The glowing and fractured halves symbolize the interplay of health and disease, reminding us that immune function, like all biological systems, is a dynamic equilibrium shaped by a multitude of forces,” Brien Haun said.
“I’m so proud that our collaborative efforts in the middle of the Pacific are not only advancing our understanding of the virus, but it’s also earned us a spot on the cover of COVID,” Lehrer said. “These are achievements we can all be proud of and it’s a testament to the power of teamwork in research.”