6th International AIDS Conference


San Francisco, California, USA — June 20-23, 1990

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Immune responses of HIV-infected chimpanzees to a candidate HIV vaccine and development of standardized cellular reagents.

Int Conf AIDS 1990 Jun 20-23; 6:328 (abstract no. 1057)
Cote PJ, Smith G, Baseler M, Satterfield W, Purcell R, Gerin J, Fernie B; Georgetown University DMVI, Rockville, Md., USA

OBJECTIVE: To study the immune response of HIV-infected chimpanzees to a recombinant gp160 vaccine (VAXSYN(R), MicroGeneSys, Inc.) and to develop standardized cellular reagents with gp160-specific reactivity.

METHODS: Two chimpanzees (Nos. 800 and 814) previously infected with a Zairian isolate (Z34) of HIV and with serologic evidence of infection were immunized twice (Day 0,28) with 1.28 mg of VAXSYN. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained prior to immunization and weekly during the trial with additional leukopacks being obtained at days 7, 14, 35, and 49. All PBMC were cryopreserved by rate-controlled methods and stored in liquid nitrogen.

RESULTS: Clinical status of the animals remained unchanged during the entire vaccination protocol. Antibody titers and cellular proliferative responses to the major envelope components (gp160, gp120, gp41) increased in both animals approximately 10-to 100-fold over pre-titers. The PBMC incorporated 3H-thymidine after stimulation in vitro with PHA, ConA, PWM, recombinant human IL-2, VAXSYN gp160, and intact infectious and inactivated HIV-1IIIB.

CONCLUSIONS: Humoral and cellular immune responses to HIV gp160 were boosted in HIV-infected chimpanzees by vaccination. HIV-infected chimpanzees can be used for producing stocks of cyropreserved viable PBMC with gp160-specific reactivity. These can provide positive-control cells for: (i) in vitro evaluation of vaccine antigens; (ii) identification and analysis of gp160 T-cell epitopes; and (iii) standardization of proliferative assays used to monitor vaccine recipients.

Keywords: AEGIS, AIDS Vaccines, HIV, Pan troglodytes, HIV Envelope Protein gp160, HIV Antibodies, HIV Envelope Protein gp120, Vaccines, Synthetic, HIV Antigens, HIV Infections, HIV Core Protein p24, Lymphocyte Activation, Immunity, Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte, Immunization, Vaccines, Vaccination, Animal, Human, In Vitro, growth & development, immunology, ICA6

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Copyright © 1990 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.