title: Enhancement of cellular immune response in HIV-1 seropositive individuals: A DNA-based trial.
abstract: A DNA-based vaccine containing HIV-1 Env and Rev genes was tested for safety and host immune response in 15 HIV-infected asymptomatic patients with CD4-positive lymphocyte counts >/=500/microl of blood and receiving no antiviral therapy. Successive groups of patients received three doses of vaccine at 30, 100, or 300 microg at 10-week intervals in a dose-escalation trial. Some changes were noted in cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity against gp160-bearing targets. Importantly, enhanced specific lymphocyte proliferative activity against HIV-1 envelope was observed in multiple patients. Three of three patients in the 300-microg dose group also developed increased MIP-1alpha levels which were detectable in their serum. Interestingly patients in the lowest dose group showed no overall changes in the immune parameters measured. The majority of patients who exhibited increases in any immune parameters were contained within the 300 microg, which was the highest dose group. These studies support further investigation of this technology for the production of antigen-specific immune responses in humans.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chattergoon
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Ugen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nyland
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lacy
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bagarazzi
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Baine
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Ciccarelli
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ginsberg
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: MacGregor
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000097:blood; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA