title: The status of HPV16-specific T-cell reactivity in health and disease as a guide to HPV vaccine development.
abstract: Human papilloma viruses (HPV) are among the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in young adults. In the majority of individuals, anti-viral immunity is capable of suppressing viral infection but in a minority of patients viral infection is not cleared in time to prevent the development of malignancies. In these cases, HPV16-specific immunity may develop too late, is not strong enough, and/or is possibly of the wrong type. The influence of pre-existing immunity on the efficacy of vaccines is largely unknown. Nor has it been studied what the effect is of vaccines on the various types of pre-existing HPV-specific T-cell immunity. Animal models showing that vaccines are able to protect against a subsequent tumor challenge and even to treat transplantable tumors, are not qualified to address this point because tumor development is not preceded by persistent viral infection. Therefore, the comparison between fully characterized pre-existing HPV-specific immunity in patients and healthy subjects is a prerequisite for the full appreciation of vaccine-efficacy as well as for further development of next-generation vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Tumor Immunology Group, Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands. shvdburg@worldonline.nl
authors.forename: Sjoerd H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: van der Burg
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Marij J P
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Welters
authors.forename: Rienk
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Offringa
authors.forename: Cornelis J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Melief
mesh_terms: D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C068651:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C059731:oncogene protein E7, Human papillomavirus type 16