Design of an Effective Vaccine against HIV: An Alternative Hypothesis

Because a robust immune response can actually foster HIV replication and spread, Joseph (Mike) McCune at the University of California at San Francisco in the U.S. proposed that building tolerance to HIV will hinder disease progression better than vaccinations that activate the immune system and trigger HIV activity. This project’s Phase I research demonstrated in a non-human primate model that tolerance to SIV could be induced by introducing SIV antigens to fetuses in utero. In Phase II, McCune and colleagues will work to optimize this approach by identifying which antigens best confer this “protective immunity,” and testing whether and how long this protection lasts after birth.