Important note: Information in this article was accurate in September 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. IAVI Report - July / September 2001
At its July meeting, the US Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS renewed its call for the US government to pursue a comprehensive, aggressive strategy to promote HIV vaccine development. The Council extended its prior recommendation on strengthening public-private partnerships to emphasize the need for policy reforms that will promote developing country access to safe, effective vaccines as soon as they become available. In particular, the Council recommended tax credits for companies engaged in vaccine R&D, tiered pricing of vaccines, and the availability of a global purchase and distribution mechanism.
Ending speculation that the Council might be terminated under the new administration, senior White House officials confirmed that President Bush planned to continue the advisory group. However, the exact membership and future function of the group remain unclear. New members are expected to be named as terms expire for some of those appointed by former President Clinton. The remaining members have staggered terms and will cycle off the Council in 2002 and 2003.
Early in its existence, the Council staked out a leadership role on vaccines, successfully urging President Clinton to set a target date for an HIV vaccine. The Council has held extensive hearings on various vaccine-related topics. One hearing that generated particular attention featured the late Jonathan Mann, who testified that human rights principles demanded removal of obstacles to development of a vaccine.
Six major publishing houses have announced plans to provide free electronic access to their scientific journals to medical schools, research laboratories and government health departments in low-income countries. The project is a collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and initially aims to serve about 600 institutions, mostly in Africa. The journals will be available through a special WHO-administered internet portal called the Health InterNetwork. The publishers involved are Elsevier, Wolters-Kluwer, Blackwell, Harcourt General, Springer-Verlag and John Wiley & Sons, a list that covers many vaccine- and AIDS-related journals.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) Group is also offering free access to its journals for anyone in counties defined by the World Bank as Low Income Economies. Potential subscribers can follow standard subscription procedures for any BMJ group journal and the subscription system will automatically recognize the location, allowing free access to those in qualifying countries. A full list of journals is available on the BMJ group website at: http://www.bmjpg.com/.
At the May meeting on Vaccines & Immunotherapy in Puerto Rico, Jonathan Leith of the University of Toronto presented data from the first human study of allovaccination as a potential AIDS vaccine strategy. The study involved women receiving leukocyte immunotherapy for the prevention of recurrent spontaneous abortions.
Leukocyte immunotherapy is carried out by immunizing women with irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from their male partner, in the hope of preventing immunological rejection of the developing fetus during pregnancy. The HIV study examined whether antibodies directed against foreign HLA molecules could neutralize virus in vitro. The rationale for this approach is that HIV incorporates HLA molecules into its envelope when budding from infected cells, and therefore might also be targeted by the anti-HLA antibodies.
Leith reported that two of the seven women studied made IgG antibodies specific for the HLA molecules of their partner. In one individual, these antibodies were directed against only class I HLA molecules, while the other made antibodies to both class I and class II. He then presented data from Tom Matthews of Duke University (Durham, North Carolina), who tested the ability of these antibodies to neutralize HIV grown in the partner's T-lymphocytes. Matthews found that antibodies to class I alone were unable to neutralize the virus, but that antibodies targeting both class I and class II neutralized both a laboratory-adapted and a primary HIV isolate. Class II is important, said Leith, an observation bolstered by recent in vitro studies showing preferential incorporation of class II versus class I molecules by HIV (J Virol 2001 Jul;75(13):6173-82).
While only one of seven women made a neutralizing antibody response, Leith stressed the preliminary nature of the study, noting that the leukocyte immunotherapy involved only a single dose of irradiated PBMC without any adjuvant. Reviewing the potential of allovaccination for HIV, he also pointed out that the use of at least five different HLA class II alleles would be necessary to cover more than 95% of the possible HLA types in humans, and that such a vaccine strategy could be employed only in areas where organ transplantation is rare (since anti-HLA immunization would greatly increase the risk of rejection). The University of Toronto group, which is headed by Kelly MacDonald, intends to pursue the approach in the SIV model.
010710
IAVI2001-0713
©2001. The IAVI Report.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1990, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
