A vaccine is a biological preparation that protects against the deadly infections or diseases.
Vaccines have been developed for smallpox, polio, measles, and
yellow fever but not for the HIV. Currently we do not have effective vaccine to protect human
immune system from
HIV virus. Still scientists are in
clinical trials to find out significant
vaccines that prevent from
HIV infection. The unprecedented challenges of developing effective
vaccines against intracellular pathogens such as HIV, malaria, and
tuberculosis have resulted in more rational approaches to vaccine development. Apart from the recent advances in the design and selection of improved epitopes and adjuvants, there are also ongoing efforts to optimize delivery platforms. Viral vectors are the best-characterized delivery tools because of their intrinsic adjuvant capability, unique cellular tropism, and ability to trigger robust adaptive immune responses. However, a known limitation of viral vectors is preexisting immunity, and ongoing efforts are aimed at developing novel
vector platforms with lower seroprevalence. It is also becoming increasingly clear that different vectors, even those derived from phylogenetically similar viruses, can elicit substantially distinct immune responses, in terms of quantity, quality, and location, which can ultimately affect immune protection. This review provides a summary of the status of viral
vector development for
HIV vaccines, with a particular focus on novel viral vectors and the types of adaptive immune responses that they induce.
Relevant Topics in Medical Sciences
