Research Reveals Further Progress Toward AIDS Vaccine
Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University are one step closer to developing an vaccine against the AIDS disease.
Led
by Matthias J. Schnell, Ph.D., director of the Jefferson Vaccine
Center, the researchers found that a rabies virus–based vaccine
administered to monkeys protected against the simian equivalent of the
HIV virus (SIV). The data were published in the journal Vaccine.
The
researchers previously showed that a rabies-based vaccine expressing
HIV and SIV antigens protective against a chimeric HIV/SIV virus in
monkeys. In this study, they used highly attenuated rabies virus
vaccine vectors to protect against challenge with the highly pathogenic
SIVmac251. This type of SIV virus causes a more similar disease in monkeys compared to human infection with HIV-1. In addition, it
is difficult to protect monkeys against AIDS-like disease after challenge with SIVmac251.
Two vaccine strategies were used: immunization with a recombinant rabies virus expressing SIVmac239GagPol, or a combination of that and a rabies virus expressing SIVmac239Env.
Both strategies induced neutralizing antibody production, CD8+ T cell
responses, and increased protection. Although the combination with Env
helped immediately following the infection, the long-term benefits were
minimal. However, it was surprising that the rabies-based vaccine was
able to induce such potent anti-SIV humoral responses.
“Although
we can’t yet block the infection, we showed that we can protect against
disease,” said Dr. Schnell. “We also saw significant antibody activity
against the virus, which is promising. In addition, this is a very
simple approach that that only took two immunizations.”
Media Only Contact:
Emily Shafer
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 12/11/2009