ASA Monitor March 2024, Vol. 88, 14.
CD8+ T cell activity could improve effectiveness of HIV vaccine
A study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggests that an effective HIV vaccine might need to stimulate robust responses from CD8+ T cells to protect against HIV acquisition. In HIV infection, the virus damages the immune system by integrating into CD4+ T cells. Among individuals known as “long-term non-progressors” or “elite controllers” (LTNPs/ECs), the immune system recognizes and activates CD8+ T cells, which then destroy HIV-infected CD4+ T cells, suppressing the virus. Previous vaccine candidates designed to stimulate CD8+ T cell activity did not prevent HIV acquisition or control viral replication in clinical trials. In the study, researchers compared immune system activities in individuals from past HIV vaccine studies with those known as LTNPs/ECs who naturally suppress the virus without antiretroviral therapy. The study found that while both vaccine recipients and LTNPs/ECs generated CD8+ T cells recognizing HIV, the CD8+ T cells of vaccine recipients failed to deliver the proteins needed to destroy HIV-infected CD4+ T cells. The dampened response could be due to reduced sensitivity of vaccine recipients’ T-cell receptors to HIV. The study suggests that future HIV vaccine candidates might be more successful with additional doses or prolonged persistence in the body to further stimulate the immune system. It also recommends evaluating HIV vaccine potential by assessing CD8+ T cell function and sensitivity, in addition to the quantity of generated CD8+ T cells. These insights aim to guide future HIV vaccine design and development, as well as inform HIV immunotherapy approaches.
Source: asamonitor.pub/4aKu5vU
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