Do Clades Matter for HIV Vaccines?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Do Clades Matter for HIV Vaccines? IAVI Report THE NEWSLETTER ON INTERNATIONAL AIDS VACCINE RESEARCH VOL 7/NUM 2 MAY–AUGUST 2003 Do Clades Matter for HIV Vaccines? As thousands of people prepare to gather in Nairobi and New York for September’s AIDS meetings, a key question for vaccine developers is how to contend with the huge diversity of HIV strains circulating worldwide BY PATRICIA KAHN is famously the most genetically diverse than anything the public health field has ever attempt- HIVviral pathogen known—nowhere more so ed. Doing it with many different formulations, or with than in Africa—as well as one of the most rapidly repeated updates, would be even more challenging. mutating. That, plus the uneven global distribution of Nailing down the impact of HIV diversity on vac- its nine genetic subtypes, or clades, poses one of the cine responses is difficult, for several reasons. One is biggest scientific unknowns facing AIDS vaccine devel- that the current system for classifying HIV diversity is opers: is a single, “universal” vaccine against all strains based on genetic sequence, not immune properties, possible? Or will it be necessary to make a slew of dif- and hasn’t been translated into distinct “immuno- ferent vaccine formulations, each tailored to the most types”—which is what really matters for vaccines. common strains in a given region? Even worse, could it While that task is slowly being tackled for epitopes tar- Inside: mean that new formulations might be needed regular- geting cellular immunity, it may be impossible for neu- ly, as with flu vaccines? tralizing antibodies (NAbs), where clades don’t seem to In Memoriam: The answer will be key to how quickly, and at correlate with immune recognition. Balla Musa Silla 2 what cost, an AIDS vaccine can be widely distributed Another complication is that the clade issue has around the globe once a successful candidate is identi- become highly politicized. Until recently, vaccine Setting a Scientific fied. Manufacturing even a single formulation and get- development has had a lopsided focus on clade B Agenda for a House on ting it out quickly to adults and adolescents soon after strains, which dominate the epidemic in industrialized Fire: AIDS Prevention it is licensed will be far more complicated and costly countries but cause only about 12% of infections glob- Research Moves Ahead in Russia 3 continued on 2 ▼ Keystone Symposium: Updates on Trials, New NIH DETAILS PLANS FOR ANALYZING Candidates and Immune Basis of VAXGEN PHASE III DATA Protection 7 BY EMILY BASS AIDS Vaccines, from Monkeys to People: t the 24 June meeting of the In the plan’s ongoing first analysis of data with Thai investi- An Interview ANational Institutes of Health phase, an independent team will gators and VaxGen. with John Shiver 10 (NIH) AIDS Vaccine Research re-analyze existing data, looking at Johnston said that NIH devel- Working Group, Peggy Johnston, factors such as race, risk category oped this strategy after VaxGen Studying HIV Diversity head of the NIH AIDS vaccine and the viral strains that infected expressed reluctance to invest in Multi-Clade Regions: research effort, outlined a three- volunteers. A second team is dis- additional funds in the Thai trial. pronged plan for involvement of cussing potential additional analy- At the same meeting, VaxGen rep- Tanzania: At the Cross- NIH and the Centers for Disease ses of blood samples, such as resentative Marc Gurwith said that roads of Africa’s Control (CDC) in VaxGen’s com- broader characterization of anti- the company—which already has Major Clades 17 pleted and ongoing Phase III trials. body responses, and HLA typing. many samples from the nearly- The plan emerged after VaxGen The goal of the third component is completed Thai study—was col- Cameroon: “Final released data from its US- “to ensure completion” of the laborating fully with the independ- Common Pathway” European Phase III study and ongoing Phase III trial in Thailand, ent data analysis. At press time, for a Global Vaccine18 made the controversial claim that Johnston said. To achieve this, precise details of the NIH-initiated the vaccine showed efficacy in NIH, CDC and an as-yet unnamed consortia, and of VaxGen’s role, Vaccine Briefs 20 non-white minority groups. donor will work on statistical had not been specified. ◆ In Memoriam: Balla Musa Silla (1955-2003) Balla Musa Silla, found- Tall, elegant and well-spoken, Mr. Silla had a stately, captivating ing vice-President for presence. A colleague at Partners recalls a plenary speech he once Vaccine Preparedness gave. “Unlike the others on the podium, he had no slides; he simply at the International spoke and told the life story of a girl growing up in poverty. The tale AIDS Vaccine Initiative flowed naturally and illustrated the realities of injustice and the chal- (IAVI), and a visionary lenges to development, but on a deeply personal level. He put the leader in the fields of sentiment back into that auditorium in Geneva—he brought poverty population and interna- into the room. Colleagues from different parts of the world thought tional development, of their own people. This was his gift.” died on 27 June , 2003 Mr. Silla joined IAVI in September 2001, where he founded a at his home in Ossin- department tasked with building international support and aware- ing, New York. He was ness for AIDS vaccine development and helping to build developing 48. The cause of death country capacity for clinical testing. Once again, he proved to be was T-cell lymphoma. equally at home power-brokering with world leaders and listening Mr. Silla was born to the needs and concerns of underserved communities desperate- in The Gambia but ly in need of an AIDS vaccine. Most of all, he understood the cen- was truly a citizen of trality of AIDS in undermining development, as well as the potential the world, having lived and worked in over 27 countries. He was of vaccination to reverse the epidemic’s devastation in the world’s a tireless advocate for the needs and potential of the developing poor countries. world, a theme that runs through his professional and personal Mr. Silla left an indelible impression on those who worked life. His career began in The Gambia, first as a volunteer working with him, and will be remembered for his kindness, generosity of alongside the international community, and eventually as the gov- spirit and dynamic personality. “My memories are of a big, ernment’s Director for Population Affairs, where he was a direct strong, proud man, with a wide, mischievous grin, and a gracious advisor to the President. manner beyond any I have encountered,” says Craig McClure, In 1996, he was approached to lead an ambitious and untested who worked with him at IAVI on community mobilization. To his venture, Partners in Population and Development, an intergovern- former colleagues, he leaves a legacy of commitment to a vision mental alliance of Southern countries addressing issues of family of a better future. planning and reproductive health through South-to-South collabora- Mr. Silla is survived by his wife, Joan Millsap, and their two sons, tion. Partners was a unique organization of Southern governments Christopher and Andrew. working closely with each other and with a variety of NGOs and com- BONNIE BENDER AND FAWZIA RASHEED munity-based groups toward a shared goal. The pace at which the program grew bore witness to Mr. Silla’s deft diplomacy and his Bonnie Bender, IAVI’s Program Manager for Vaccine Preparedness, unstinting commitment to South-South cooperation. His vision was worked with Mr. Silla during his tenure with the organization. Dr. grounded in the belief that the solutions to development lay in devel- Fawzia Rasheed was his colleague at Partners, where she served as oping countries themselves. Senior Advisor on HIV/AIDS & STD and Policy Advisor. ▼ DO CLADES MATTER continued from 1 ally. That disconnect helped mobilize developing coun- cially in Africa.” tries to get involved with HIV vaccine testing, and But despite these challenges, there are promising spurred development of non-clade B candidates— developments, along with some sobering ones. A which now greatly outnumber new clade B-based growing body of data shows that immune responses to ones. But it also helped create a political logjam: Fears T-cell-based HIV vaccines, and to natural infection, that testing vaccines based on “unmatched” strains often recognize HIV proteins from different clades— exploits trial volunteers in developing countries some- fueling optimism that, at least for vaccines targeting cel- times engendered resistance even to early-stage trials of lular immunity, some cross-clade protection can be non-local clades, and raised pressures to tailor vaccine achieved. And studies in infected people are revealing candidates to ever-finer, single-country levels. that a few antibodies which neutralize primary HIV Yet only by comparing vaccine efficacy in strains also work against other clades, findings that are matched settings to partially or completely unmatched renewing hopes of designing immunogens able to elicit ones can the impact of HIV diversity ultimately be NAbs, a task that has long seemed intractable. resolved. Moreover, “a country-by-country approach to Things are also moving on the political front. “I vaccine development would be crippling,” says see a major shift,” says Jose Esparza, coordinator of the Francine McCutchan (Henry M. Jackson Foundation, WHO-UNAIDS HIV Vaccine Initiative, pointing as an Rockville), who leads the US military’s HIV global sur- example to a consensus document on clades released veillance program. “It would make it very, very slow to by the African AIDS Vaccine Programme at its June get vaccines suitable for some hard-hit regions, espe- meeting (see p.
Recommended publications
  • Adverse Reactions to HIV Vaccines: Medical, Ethical, and Legal Issues
    Adverse Reactions to HIV Vaccines: Medical, Ethical, and Legal Issues September 1995 OTA-BP-H-163 GPO stock #052-003-01429-7 Recommended Citation: U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Adverse Reactions to HIV Vaccines: Medical, Ethical, and Legal Issues, OTA-BP-H-163 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, September 1995). oreword IDS researchers are investigating new vaccines that would prevent infection with HIV and reduce the spread of AIDS. Some have argued that product liabil- ity concerns have discouraged investment in HIV vaccine research and devel- opment. The purpose of this OTA background paper is to describe the current state of development of HIV vaccines, and to discuss what is known about adverse reac- tions that may occur. The background paper provides an overview of ethical issues that arise in the conduct of HIV vaccine trials. The report also discusses alternatives to the current product liability system to encourage the development of HIV vaccines and to fairly compensate those who are harmed as a result of adverse reactions to the vaccine. This background paper was prepared in response to a request from the Subcommittee on Health of the House Ways and Means Committee. It is eleventh in OTA’s series of studies on HIV-related issues. The preceding papers in this series were: Do Insects Transmit AIDS? (9/87), AIDS and Health Insurance: An OTA Survey (2/88), How Effective is AIDS Education? (6/88), The Impact of AIDS on the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (Northern California Region) (7/88), How Has Federal Research on AIDS/HIV Disease Contributed to Other Fields? (4/90), The Effectiveness of Drug Abuse Treatment: Implications for Controlling AIDS/HIV Infection (9/90), HIV in the Health Care Workplace (11/91), The CDC’s Case Definition of AIDS: Implications of the Proposed Revisions (8/92), Difficult-to-reuse Needles for the Prevention of HIV Infection Among Injecting Drug Abusers (10/92), and External Review of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV Prevention Programs (9/94).
    [Show full text]
  • Coversheet for Thesis in Sussex Research Online
    A University of Sussex DPhil thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://eprints.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details Knowledge Accumulation and Vaccine Innovation: Lessons from Polio and HIV/AIDS Ohid Yaqub Doctor of Philosophy University of Sussex Submitted in September 2008 ii I hereby declare that this thesis has not been submitted, either in the same or different form, to this or any other university for a degree. Ohid Yaqub iii To my parents and Corinne, Two worlds that should not be separate. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and supervised by Paul Nightingale. Paul is a supervisor who is extremely generous with his time, ideas and encouragement; and who manages to make academia look extremely fun. His energy and enthusiasm were most important to me when I really thought the ship was sinking. I cannot thank him enough and feel privileged to have worked with him. My first opportunity to pursue some of the ideas in this thesis was under the supervision of Ed Steinmueller and Aldo Geuna.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing a Vaccine Against HIV Infection
    Developing a vaccine against HIV infection KEY POINTS Researchers have been working on an HIV vaccine since the 1980s, but progress towards an effective vaccine has been much slower than anticipated. Finding at least a partially effective vaccine remains of critical importance for the HIV response. The biggest reduction in new infections would be achieved by a combination of PrEP, universal antiretroviral treatment for people already living with HIV, and a vaccine.1 An HIV vaccine is a more realistic prospect today than a decade ago and an optimistic forecast of HIV vaccine availability is that one might be available by 2030. Explore this page to find out more about the need for a vaccine against HIV, challenges in vaccine development, progress in developing a vaccine and achieving an effective vaccine for HIV. What is an HIV vaccine? Today, an effective vaccine against HIV does not exist. A vaccine that can prevent infection would teach the immune system to respond to HIV by making antibodies that can bind to the virus and stop it from infecting cells, or by promoting other immune responses that kill the virus. No vaccine is 100% effective, and this is likely to be the same for HIV. Some people who receive a vaccine will not respond strongly enough to the vaccine and will not be protected, as in the case of the seasonal flu vaccine. But finding at least a partially effective vaccine remains of critical importance for the HIV response, as all successful disease elimination strategies have included a vaccine among their arsenal. The need for a vaccine against HIV UNAIDS estimates that 1.8 million people became infected with HIV in 2017, 36.9 million people were living with HIV and 21.7 million were receiving antiretroviral therapy.
    [Show full text]
  • Status of HIV Vaccine Research & Development
    Status of HIV Vaccine Research & Development Wayne C. Koff, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer, IAVI Global Vaccine Immunization Research Forum Bethesda, Maryland March 4, 2014 HIV continues to devastate…. 35.3 million people living with HIV worldwide 2.3 million new infections in 2012 ; 2012 2008 6,300 new HIV infections daily 33 million 35.3 million 36 million AIDS-related deaths to date 2005 32 million Women bear the brunt of the epidemic, representing almost 60% of HIV-infected adults in Africa and half of adults worldwide 2000 28.5 million Since the beginning >70,000,000 HIV Infections 1995 18.5 million 1990 7.5 million people living with HIV Remarkable scale up of treatment; however, doesn’t solve problem. Lifetime treatment required and for every (1) person put on treatment, (2) are newly infected. THE WORLD NEEDS AN HIV VACCINE Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Public Health Impact: A Vaccine Is Needed to “Get Close to Zero” Cumulative infections avoided 2011-50 22.5M 16.0M New HIV Infections HIV New 7.4M * An illustrative vaccine with an assumed efficacy of 60%, not representative of any specific candidate in development. Coverage reaches 70% in generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics, 60% in concentrated epidemics. Potential impact of an AIDS vaccine as part of the UNAIDS Enhanced Investment Framework, IFE Modeling project – UNAIDS, Futures Institute, IAVI, AVAC [funded by USAID] 3 AIDS vaccine development: Scientific Challenges 1. HIV variability 2. Lack of an ideal animal model 3. Natural immunity fails to clear HIV 4. HIV is a retrovirus- integrates into the host genome- short window of opportunity to control 5.
    [Show full text]
  • HIV VACCINE RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT CD8 Group
    GLOSSARY OF KEY HIV VACCINE TERMS Immunogenicity – when attributed to a test vaccine, defines the • Since 2001, USAID has contributed $134 million to help discover an HIV vaccine. Currently, USAID is committing annual product’s ability to cause the body to produce antibodies or T-cells funding of $28 million through 2011 for HIV vaccine R&D. that may protect against an infection, disease, or foreign substance. • USAID provides support for all phases of HIV vaccine applied R&D, infrastructure, and capacity building for clinical trial Innate Immunity – a relatively nonspecific response that protects conduct, public communications, and policy analysis through a partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. against a whole class or type of invaders but does not generate USAID does not support basic research. TECHNICAL ISSUE BRIEF immune memory (see adaptive immune response). Killer T-cells – a group of T-cells that is activated by helper T-cells • USAID plans involvement with the Global HIV/AIDS Vaccine Enterprise. PATHWAYS OF DISCOVERY: and has the ability to destroy cells infected by foreign invaders (such as viruses). Also known as cytotoxic T-cells, they may belong to the • USAID facilitates coordination between HIV vaccine clinical trial activities and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment HIV VACCINE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CD8 group. programs in developing countries. Lymphocytes – the diverse set of white blood cells (each with different functions) that are responsible for immune responses. virologists convenes twice a year to review the R&D portfolio activities. As the Global HIV/AIDS Vaccine Enterprise evolves Introduction There are two main types: B-cells (responsible for producing anti- under consideration by the organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Stakeholder Engagement in HIV Cure Research: Lessons Learned from Other HIV Interventions and the Way Forward
    AIDS PATIENT CARE and STDs Volume 29, Volume 7, 2015 ª World Health Organization 2015 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2014.0348 Stakeholder Engagement in HIV Cure Research: Lessons Learned from Other HIV Interventions and the Way Forward Ying-Ru Lo, MD,1 Carissa Chu, BS,2,3 Jintanat Ananworanich, MD, PhD,4,5 Jean-Louis Excler, MD,4,5 and Joseph D. Tucker, MD, PhD, MA3,6 Abstract Clinical and basic science advances have raised considerable hope for achieving an HIV cure by accelerating research. This research is dominated primarily by issues about the nature and design of current and future clinical trials. Stakeholder engagement for HIV cure remains in its early stages. Our analysis examines timing and mechanisms of historical stakeholder engagement in other HIV research areas for HIV-uninfected indi- viduals [vaccine development and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)], and HIV-infected individuals (treatment as prevention, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and treatment of acute HIV infection) and articulate a plan for HIV cure stakeholder engagement. The experience from HIV vaccine development shows that early engagement of stakeholders helped manage expectations, mitigating the failure of several vaccine trials, while paving the way for subsequent trials. The relatively late engagement of HIV stakeholders in PrEP research may partly explain some of the implementation challenges. The treatment-related stakeholder engagement was strong and community-led from the onset and helped translation from research to implementation. We outline five steps to initiate and sustain stakeholder engagement in HIV cure research and conclude that stakeholder engagement represents a key investment in which stakeholders mutually agree to share knowledge, benefits, and risk of failure.
    [Show full text]
  • Official Transcript
    Under the Microscope Expert Webinar on COVID-19 Vaccine Research in Australia & Germany Official Transcript On 30 June 2020, the Australian Embassy Berlin hosted an expert webinar to discuss the race for a COVID-19 vaccine. The event was was supported by the German Embassy Canberra, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australia- Germany Research Network (AGRN). Ambassador H.E. Laureate Professor Professor Doctor Emeritus Professor Paul Richards Lynette Wood Peter Doherty Marylyn Addo Hans Bachor This live webinar took place on 30 June 2020, when the world had just crossed over 10 million infections and 500,000 deaths due to COVID-19. The date was on the eve of the six month mark since WHO received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in China. Due to technical issues with the recording, we are not able to provide a high-quality audio or video recording of the webinar. Instead, we provide below a transcript of the webinar. We hope you find it useful and informative. 2 Panellists Laureate Professor Peter Doherty is one of Australia’s leading immunologists. Professor Doherty is the patron of the eponymous Doherty Institute, which has been at the forefront of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute is currently investigating two protein-based and two viral vector vaccines. Professor Doherty and Swiss researcher Rolf Zinkernagel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for their discoveries of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells, a discovery which has had practical implications for cancer treatments.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the WHO-UNAIDS Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) Geneva, May 1-3, 2012
    Report of the WHO-UNAIDS Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) and Scientific Briefing on the biomedical HIV/AIDS prevention landscape and consequences for HIV vaccine development Geneva, May 1-3, 2012 Contents page Introduction & Background 2 PART ONE (Scientific Briefing) 1. Biomedical prevention of HIV by non-vaccine approaches 4 2. The vaccine trial landscape 5 3. Implications for HIV vaccine trials 7 4. Combining interventions 10 5. Developing a global advocacy roadmap for HIV prevention 13 PART TWO (VAC Report) 15 Conclusions and Recommendations 22 1 Introduction This report is a summary record of the WHO/UNAIDS HIV Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) meetings on 1-3 May 2012, including the scientific briefing on the biomedical HIV/AIDS prevention landscape and consequences for HIV vaccine development In addition to summarizing the scientific presentations and discussions, this report also reflects the VAC efforts to formulate a related WHO workplan for 2012-2013. This includes building consensus about the main issues, and demonstrating to Member States the important role WHO has in HIV vaccine development and the added value that WHO has in this endeavour. Finally, this report puts forward a list of recommendations for action drawn from the proceedings, The report is structured in two main parts: (1) the scientific presentations in plenary on the first and second days of the meeting; and (2) the VAC closed session on the third and final day in which those presentations and discussions, augmented by further presentations from representatives of invited groups and networks, formed the basis for shaping the workplan and producing recommendations. Background Almost thirty years after HIV was first identified, the virus still ravages the world.
    [Show full text]
  • German Center for Infection Research
    GERMAN CENTER FOR INFECTION RESEARCH Annual Report 2018 Cover image: This image shows a scanning electron microscope image of thread-like Ebola viruses (in blue) protruding from an infected cell. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 The DZIF at a glance The German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) coordinates and oversees the strategic planning of translational infection research within Germany. Its mission is to translate results from basic biomedical research into clinical research. 35 DZIF research centres work concertedly against the global threat of infectious diseases. Table of contents Editorial ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 About the DZIF ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Science – Translation in focus Emerging Infections ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Tuberculosis ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Malaria .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 HIV .......................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • W, a COMPARISON of KNOWLEDGE and ATTITUDES BETWEEN
    * NB /w, A COMPARISON OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES BETWEEN DIRECTORS OF ATHLETICS AND HEAD TRAINERS IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHLAND CONFERENCES REGARDING HIV-TRANSMISSION ISSUES IN ATHLETICS DISSERTATION Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of North Texas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Harold L. Whiteley, B.S., M.S. Denton, Texas December, 1995 * NB /w, A COMPARISON OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES BETWEEN DIRECTORS OF ATHLETICS AND HEAD TRAINERS IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHLAND CONFERENCES REGARDING HIV-TRANSMISSION ISSUES IN ATHLETICS DISSERTATION Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of North Texas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Harold L. Whiteley, B.S., M.S. Denton, Texas December, 1995 Whiteley, Harold L., A comparison of knowledge and attitudes between directors of athletics and head trainers in the Southwest and Southland conferences regarding HIY-transmission issues in athletics. Doctor of Philosophy (Higher Education), December, 1995, 326 pp., 13 tables, references, 295 titles. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare knowledge and attitudes of directors of athletics and head trainers in the Southwest (Division 1 A) and the Southland (Division 1AA) Conferences concerning HIV/AIDS issues related to transmission, prevention, and protection within college athletics programs. The results of this qualitative study provided descriptive data from university administrators within the athletics setting who are responsible for providing adequate student athlete health care services from developed and implemented administrative policies that directly or indirectly affect a student athlete's physiological and psychological well-being.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of CD8+ T Cell Responses Towards Conserved HIV-1 Epitopes
    Evaluation of CD8+ T cell responses towards conserved HIV-1 epitopes in naturally infected and vaccinated individuals Ambreen Ashraf Section of Immunology Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Medicine Imperial College London This Thesis was submitted to Imperial College for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2017 Declaration of Originality I hereby declare that all the work illustrated in this thesis signifies my novel work and was performed in the laboratories of International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Department of Immunology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London and has not been submitted to any other institution. Furthermore, I have used no other source of information except those which are notified by citations. Ms Ambreen Ashraf 2 Copyright Declaration The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. Researchers are free to copy, distribute or transmit the thesis on the condition that they attribute it, that they do not use it for commercial purposes and that they do not alter, transform or build upon it. For any reuse or redistributions, researchers must make clear to others the licence terms of this work. 3 Abstract of thesis Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is a global public health priority. An effective HIV- 1 vaccine strategy must overcome the enormous genetic diversity generated by the virus while inducing potent, long lasting immune responses. In this thesis, virus-specific cellular immune responses directed towards HIV conserved regions were evaluated using a validated IFN-γ enzyme- linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay and two sets of peptide panels based upon HIV-1 vaccine candidates.
    [Show full text]
  • HIV/AIDS Bartelink, B.; Pape, U
    University of Groningen Political, social and religious dimensions in the fight against HIV/AIDS Bartelink, B.; Pape, U. IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2010 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Bartelink, B., & Pape, U. (2010). Political, social and religious dimensions in the fight against HIV/AIDS: Negotiating worldviews, facing practical challenges. s.n. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license. More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne- amendment. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 28-09-2021 The CDS Research Report series COLOFON: The CDS Research Report series publishes research papers, interesting working papers and pre-prints, as well as CDS seminar reports.
    [Show full text]