New findings could lead to improved vaccinations against sexually transmitted infections

In a study published in the Nature Communications, researchers from King’s College London have shown how skin vaccination can generate protective CD8 T-cells that are recruited to the genital tissues and could be used as a vaccination strategy for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). One of the challenges in developing vaccines for STIs, such as HIV or herpes simplex virus, is understanding how to attract specialized immune cells, called CD8 T-cells, to take up residence in the part of the body where the virus first enters. These cells need to be in place, armed and ready to provide an immediate protective immune defense, rather than waiting for immune cells in the blood to enter the tissues which takes time. Before this study, it was thought that vaccines ideally needed to be delivered directly to the body surface (e.g. female genital tissue) where the infection might start, so that the immune system can generate...