title: Relevance of studying T cell responses in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.
abstract: HIV infection, once established, is never cleared. Rare individuals do, however, control viral replication to low levels. These successful immune responses are primarily linked to certain class I MHC alleles (MHC-I). Because of this association, many AIDS vaccines in development are designed to generate virus-specific CD8+ T cells. The Merck STEP phase 2b efficacy trial of one such vaccine was recently halted, and declared a failure. Thus, basic questions regarding what constitutes an effective T cell response and how such responses could be elicited by vaccination remain open. The best animal model available to explore such issues is simian immunodeficiency virus infection of rhesus macaques, which serves as the primary proving ground for AIDS vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53711 USA.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D018449:SAIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D018449:SAIDS Vaccines