NIH research identifies opportunities to improve future HIV vaccine candidates

Study suggests greater CD8+ T-cell activity may increase HIV immunity An effective HIV vaccine may need to prompt strong responses from immune cells called CD8+ T cells to protect people from acquiring HIV, according to a new study from researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues. The study findings, appearing in Science, draw comparisons between the immune system activity of past HIV vaccine study participants and people with HIV who naturally keep the virus from replicating even in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The latter individuals are often called “long-term non-progressors” or “elite controllers” (LTNPs/ECs). When HIV enters the body, the virus begins to damage the immune system by inserting itself into CD4+ T cells, which are white blood cells that help coordinate the immune response to pathogens. In most people, HIV continues to replicate and damage more...