On the growing complexity of HIV-1 vaccines. Issue 5 (September 2010)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hanke, Tomáš
• Is Part Of: HIV therapy. Volume 4:Issue 5(2010)
• Page Start: 543
• Page End: 552
• Publication Date: 2010-09
• Subjects: HIV-1 vaccine -- human efficacy trial -- prime-boost -- T cell -- vaccine complexity; HIV (Viruses) -- Treatment -- Periodicals; HIV (Viruses) -- Research -- Periodicals; 616.979206
• DOI: 10.2217/hiv.10.40
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1758-4310

Abstract

The development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine continues to pose a formidable challenge. While traditional approaches of live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines are either too dangerous or inefficient, modern and safer subunit vaccines are still in their infancy and struggle to cope with various aspects of HIV-1 biology, including the enormous variability of HIV-1. Three simple prophylactic candidate vaccine strategies have now been tested in human efficacy trials, with only a very marginal and yet to be confirmed success in the most recent one. Thus, HIV-1 immunological control, which may require induction of both broadly neutralizing antibodies and T cells capable of controlling multiple clades and escape variants. At protective levels, an increase in subunit vaccine design complexity is required. I argue that, by analogy to antiretroviral treatment, even a relatively complex vaccine may not only serve to prove the concept, but can be successfully deployed in countries with limited resources and infrastructure.