Trans-complementing papilloma virus for AIDS vaccine

Currently there is no efficient vaccine developed to prevent transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the agent responsible for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Classic vaccine strategies, such as the use of live attenuated viruses where the immune system is stimulated by exposure of the host organism to infectious viral particles, have led to safety issues in the case of HIV. The development of an effective vaccine that restricts viral replication at mucosal portals of entry remains our best hop for controlling the HIV pandemic. We propose to develop a new vaccine strategy that elicits a long-term immunity against HIV infection at the site of entry of the virus, in the case of mucosal infection. The key elements of our strategy are based on the delivery of special regions or genes encoding for viral antigens into epithelial differentiating cells at mucosal portals of entry which will be specifically expressed on mucosal surfaces. Our methodology associates molecular biology techniques and gene delivery systems. Initiation of the immune system preventing HIV infection and/or propagation will be assessed by immunological techniques of current use in our laboratory.