Cross-subtype antibody and cellular immune responses induced by a polyvalent DNA prime-protein boost HIV-1 vaccine in healthy human volunteers

Vaccine. 2008 Feb 20;26(8):1098-110. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.12.024. Epub 2008 Jan 10.

Abstract

An optimally effective AIDS vaccine would likely require the induction of both neutralizing antibody and cell-mediated immune responses, which has proven difficult to obtain in previous clinical trials. Here we report on the induction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1)-specific immune responses in healthy adult volunteers that received the multi-gene, polyvalent, DNA prime-protein boost HIV-1 vaccine formulation, DP6-001, in a Phase I clinical trial conducted in healthy adult volunteers of both genders. Robust cross-subtype HIV-1-specific T cell responses were detected in IFNgamma ELISPOT assays. Furthermore, we detected high titer serum antibody responses that recognized a wide range of primary HIV-1 Env antigens and also neutralized pseudotyped viruses that express the primary Env antigens from multiple HIV-1 subtypes. These findings demonstrate that the DNA prime-protein boost approach is an effective immunization method to elicit both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in humans, and that a polyvalent Env formulation could generate broad immune responses against HIV-1 viruses with diverse genetic backgrounds.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase I
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • AIDS Vaccines / immunology*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • HIV Antibodies / blood*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / genetics*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / immunology*
  • Human Experimentation
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis
  • Middle Aged
  • Neutralization Tests
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Vaccines, DNA / immunology*

Substances

  • AIDS Vaccines
  • HIV Antibodies
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Vaccines, DNA
  • gp120 protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1
  • Interferon-gamma