HIV vaccines: can CD4+ T cells be of help?
Defining immune correlates of protection against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major challenge. While the role of neutralizing antibodies and CD8+ T cell responses has been widely acknowledged and applied in vaccine development, little vaccine candidates have focused on CD4+ T cells. As the main target of HIV, CD4+ T cells play a pivotal role in HIV infection. An HIV vaccine that elicits strong, multi-specific, polyfunctional and persisting CD4+ T cell responses would therefore have the potential of lowering viral set point when HIV infection occurs or reducing viral load in already infected patients. In a combined approach with neutralizing antibodies and CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells cannot only enhance the magnitude, quality and durability of the desired antibody response, but will also provide the help needed to induce and maintain effective antiviral CD8+ T cell responses. In addition, the disease-modifying potential of the CD4+ T cell response, by lowering viral set point and/or viral load and thus probability of transmission, may be beneficial both at the individual and public health level.
Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and Hospital, Belgium.
Eva
E
Van Braeckel
Geert
G
Leroux-Roels
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D019562:Viral Load
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D015483:HIV Antibodies