This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This project is aimed at exploring the potential of lipid depleted SIV and HIV as a mode of autologous therapeutic immunization post SIV infection. Preliminary non-infectious studies have used HIV-1 as a model to immunize rhesus macaques comparing unmanipulated versus solvent treated HIV generated immune responses. A second arm of the study has used chronically SIV infected rhesus macaques from which SIV was first isolated, solvent treated and readministered under antiretroviral therapy. Antiviral immune responses and viral loads measured before and after the therapeutic attempt suggest modest but identifiable improvement of antiviral control following such autologous immunization pilot experiment. A new large scale study has been initiated that will repeat the strategy tested in the pilot experiment but at early time points post SIV infection which is reasoned to generate better antiviral control thanks to lower impairment of the animal?s immune system. Therefore, 36 juvenile rhesus macaques have been screened and assigned.
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