HIV

To test the hypothesis that immunization with a non-HIV antigen will neutralize the virus, Jinhua Xiang of the University of Iowa will determine if immunization with an envelope protein of the GB Virus C elicits antibodies that block HIV replication.

Marilia Cascalho of the University of Michigan will test whether a "mutable"DNA vaccine in which the gene coding for the antigen mutates a million times more frequently than a typical gene will trigger immune response that anticipates the production of new viral variants and produces broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.

To test the theory neutralizing antibodies can be "programmed" to recognize broadly divergent HIV envelope proteins, Nancy Haigwood of Oregon Health & Science University will work to design components of an HIV vaccine using groups of related envelope sequences.

Pandelakis Koni of the Medical College of Georgia will study the complex sugar coating that surrounds and protects HIV to see if parts of this shield can serve as targets for a vaccine, to generate antibodies that bind to and accelerate the killing of HIV-infected cells.

Vojo Deretic of the University of New Mexico in the U.S. proposed that autophagy, a process by which cells destroy cellular components and intracellular pathogens, can be induced through drug therapy to not only destroy the HIV virus in infected cells, but also to block its transmission from dendritic cells to T cells. This project's Phase I research demonstrated that autophagy can destroy HIV, block dendritic to T cell transfer of HIV, and promote antigen presentation by dendritic cells.

Stephen Johnston of Arizona State University will investigate whether HIV causes deficient protein synthesis in infected cells. This knowledge could be used to stimulate normal human T cells to destroy infected cells based on these aberrant host antigens.

Douglas Nixon of the University of California at San Francisco will test his hypothesis that APOBEC proteins, which have been found to restrict replication of HIV, can be used to as an immunogen to stimulate a T cell response which would act against HIV infected cells.

Ali Munawar of Molecmo Nanobiotechnologies in the U.S. aims to identify the specific protein that enables the HIV virus to access various sites within the host cell for replication. Identification of this protein will advance the development of a novel class of small molecule inhibitors that disrupt the HIV life cycle.

Ralph Albrecht of the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. seeks to develop magnetite nanoparticles conjugated to antibodies that will selectively bind to HIV-infected cells. Once bound to the infected cells, the magnetite is heated using an externally applied magnetic field; melting holes in the membrane of the infected cell and killing it.

John Altman of Emory University in the U.S. will research whether a drug which induces lymphopenia and is currently in clinical trials can effectively reduce T-cell exhaustion and induce immune-mediated clearance of the SIV infection.