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37/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 37 out of 100. Disease mechanisms

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), are histopathologically defined by the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated pathological tau (pTau) as neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Site-specific phosphorylation of tau occurs early in the disease process and correlates with progressive cognitive decline, thus serving as targetable pathological epitopes for immunotherapy development. Previously, we developed a vaccine (Qβ-pT181) displaying phosphorylated Thr181 tau peptides on the surface of a Qβ bacteriophage virus-like particle (VLP) that induced robust antibody responses, cleared pathological tau, and rescued memory deficits in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy. Here we report the characterization and comparison of two additional Qβ VLP-based vaccines targeting the dual phosphorylation sites Ser199/Ser202 (Qβ-AT8) and Ser396/Ser404 (Qβ-PHF1). Both Qβ-AT8 and Qβ-PHF1 vaccines elicited high-titer antibody responses against their pTau epitopes. However, only Qβ-PHF1 rescued cognitive deficits, reduced soluble and insoluble pathological tau, and inflammatory microgliosis in a 4.5-month rTg4510 model of FTD. Both sera from Qβ-AT8 and Qβ-PHF1 vaccinated mice were specifically reactive to tau pathology in human AD post-mortem brain sections. These studies further support the use of VLP-based immunotherapies to target pTau in AD and related tauopathies and provide potential insight into the clinical efficacy of various pTau epitopes in the development of immunotherapies.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

In the rTg4510 mouse model of frontotemporal dementia, only the Qβ-PHF1 tau vaccine, not the Qβ-AT8 vaccine, rescued cognitive deficits and reduced pathological tau and microgliosis. This is animal vaccine research, and sera from vaccinated mice reacted to tau pathology in human Alzheimer's brain sections.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Hulse, J. P., Maphis, N. M., Peabody, J., Bondu, V., Chackerian, B., & Bhaskar, K. (2025). pS396/pS404 (PHF1) tau vaccine outperforms pS199/pS202 (AT8) in rTg4510 tauopathy model. npj Vaccines. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-025-01147-4

Vancouver

Hulse JP, Maphis NM, Peabody J, Bondu V, Chackerian B, Bhaskar K. pS396/pS404 (PHF1) tau vaccine outperforms pS199/pS202 (AT8) in rTg4510 tauopathy model. npj Vaccines. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41541-025-01147-4. PMID: 40360566.

BibTeX

@article{hulse2025-40360566,
  author  = {Hulse, Jonathan P. and Maphis, Nicole M. and Peabody, Julianne and Bondu, Virginie and Chackerian, Bryce and Bhaskar, Kiran},
  title   = {{pS396/pS404 (PHF1) tau vaccine outperforms pS199/pS202 (AT8) in rTg4510 tauopathy model}},
  journal = {npj Vaccines},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1038/s41541-025-01147-4},
  pmid    = {40360566},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-025-01147-4}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Here we report the characterization and comparison of two additional Qβ VLP-based vaccines targeting the dual phosphorylation sites Ser199/Ser202 (Qβ-AT8) and Ser396/Ser404 (Qβ-PHF1).
Both Qβ-AT8 and Qβ-PHF1 vaccines elicited high-titer antibody responses against their pTau epitopes.
However, only Qβ-PHF1 rescued cognitive deficits, reduced soluble and insoluble pathological tau, and inflammatory microgliosis in a 4.5-month rTg4510 model of FTD.
Both sera from Qβ-AT8 and Qβ-PHF1 vaccinated mice were specifically reactive to tau pathology in human AD post-mortem brain sections.
These studies further support the use of VLP-based immunotherapies to target pTau in AD and related tauopathies and provide potential insight into the clinical efficacy of various pTau epitopes in the development of immunotherapies.

Why it matters

Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 37/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (npj Vaccines)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Npj Vaccines: journal h-index 79 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	4 / 5	2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	2 / 7	Cited 8 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	1 / 5	2.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 8 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Kiran Bhaskar: h-index 31 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	University of New Mexico: institution h-index 845 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40360566)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	37 / 100	—

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