DNA VACCINATION WITH HIV-1 EXPRESSING CONSTRUCTS ELICITS IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN HUMANS

Humoral and cellular immune responses have been produced by intramuscu lar vaccination with dna plasmids expressing HIV-1 genes, suggesting p ossible immunotherapeutic and prophylactic value for these constructs. Vaccination with these constructs has decreased HIV-1 viral load in H IV-1-infected chimpanzees. In addition, naive (i.e. non-HIV-1-infected ) chimpanzees were protected against a heterologous challenge with HIV -1. Ongoing phase I clinical trials show that therapeutic vaccinations indeed boost anti-HIV-1 immune responses in humans. A therapeutic pha se I trial on humans with these constructs induced a good safety profi le and also demonstrated an immunological potentiation. These findings indicate that further studies with these constructs in humans are war ranted. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.