An effective vaccine is the only practical way to halt the AIDS epidemic. The greatest challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine is antigenic variation. Therefore, the present project aim is to enhance the understanding of antigenic variation by characterizing intra-subtype sequence variation among gpl20 genes from incident (new) infections, and identifying novel antigens that will be manufactured and advanced into clinical trails. Samples will be collected from VaxGen's current Phase III U.S. AIDS vaccine clinical trials. Amino acid sequences will be analyzed using new software that maps sequence variation onto the 3D crystal structure of gp120 to define substitutions that may alter the antigenic profile. This study will provide a database of virus sequences currently circulating throughout North America, with reference to approximate time of infection, geographic distribution, and the nature of source material. These data will aid in incorporating new antigens to improve current HIV vaccine efficacy against variants of subtype B by guiding selection of the most appropriate envelope antigens for next generation HIV vaccines.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase II (R44)
Project #
1R44AI052624-01
Application #
6550706
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-VACC (10))
Program Officer
Ahlers, Jeffrey D
Project Start
2002-09-15
Project End
2003-02-28
Budget Start
2002-09-15
Budget End
2003-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$210,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Vaxgen, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Brisbane
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94005
Jobes, David V; Daoust, Melissa; Nguyen, Vivian et al. (2006) High incidence of unusual cysteine variants in gp120 envelope proteins from early HIV type 1 infections from a Phase 3 vaccine efficacy trial. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 22:1014-21