Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42049779›Full record

ArticleNPJ vaccines2026

Quillaja saponaria fraction QS-18 as an adjuvant for liposomal seasonal influenza vaccines.

Qinzhe Li, Zachary Sia, Yuan Luo, Wei-Chiao Huang, Hilliard L Kutscher, Haojun Zhu, Joaquin Ortega, Bruce A Davidson, Jonathan F Lovell

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in NPJ vaccines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Qinzhe LiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Zachary SiaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Yuan LuoDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Wei-Chiao HuangDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Hilliard L KutscherPOP Biotechnologies, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Haojun ZhuDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Joaquin OrtegaDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Bruce A DavidsonDepartment of Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. bdavidso@buffalo.edu.
Jonathan F LovellDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. jflovell@buffalo.edu.

Funding

Advanced testing of a hexavalent adjuvanted influenza vaccine platform for dose sparing, multiplexing, and rapid deploymentR44AI181479 · NIAID · POP BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC · PI Hilliard Kutscher · 2024 to 2026
$2.8M
NIAID NIH HHS R44 AI181479NIH HHS 1R41AI149954
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Saponin fractions from Quillaja saponaria (QS) are promising vaccine adjuvants. Among these, QS-21 is a component in several FDA-approved vaccines, but its limited quantity may present a manufacturing bottleneck. While the related saponin, QS-18, is one of the most abundant fractions, its putative toxicity has historically hindered its clinical development. In this study, we formulated QS-18 into a seasonal influenza virus liposomal nanoparticle protein vaccine comprising contemporary, recombinant hemagglutinin and neuraminidase antigens from influenza A (H1N1), influenza A (H3N2), and influenza B (Victoria lineage). This formulation did not exhibit overt QS-18 toxicity in mice or rabbits. In mice and ferrets, QS-18 adjuvanted particles elicited efficacious antibody responses and provided protection against influenza challenges, comparable to analogous QS-21 adjuvanted liposomes. These findings suggest that more study of QS-18 or QS-18-containing QS fractions is warranted for infectious disease vaccine adjuvant formulations.

Identifiers

PMID42049779
PMCPMC13328653

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.