This project has established an improved humanized mouse model for the study of immune responses to HIV infection and vaccination. The model utilizes severely immunocompromised mice reconstituted with human thymic and liver tissue, which establishes human lymphocytic and monocytic populations susceptible to HIV infection. The mice support both intravenous and mucosal HIV infection and develop HIV-specific B and T cell immunity. We have been studying vaccine responses in the animals and are working on methods to improve vaccine efficacy and strengthen immune responses in humanized mice.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$267,620
Indirect Cost
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State
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Lavender, Kerry J; Williamson, Brandi N; Saturday, Greg et al. (2018) Pathogenicity of Ebola and Marburg Viruses Is Associated With Differential Activation of the Myeloid Compartment in Humanized Triple Knockout-Bone Marrow, Liver, and Thymus Mice. J Infect Dis :
Hasenkrug, Kim J; Chougnet, Claire A; Dittmer, Ulf (2018) Regulatory T cells in retroviral infections. PLoS Pathog 14:e1006776
Lavender, Kerry J; Pace, Craig; Sutter, Kathrin et al. (2018) An advanced BLT-humanized mouse model for extended HIV-1 cure studies. AIDS 32:1-10
Van Dis, Erik S; Moore, Tyler C; Lavender, Kerry J et al. (2016) No SEVI-mediated enhancement of rectal HIV-1 transmission of HIV-1 in two humanized mouse cohorts. Virology 488:88-95
Lavender, Kerry J; Gibbert, Kathrin; Peterson, Karin E et al. (2016) Interferon Alpha Subtype-Specific Suppression of HIV-1 Infection In Vivo. J Virol 90:6001-6013
Akkina, Ramesh; Allam, Atef; Balazs, Alejandro B et al. (2016) Improvements and Limitations of Humanized Mouse Models for HIV Research: NIH/NIAID ""Meet the Experts"" 2015 Workshop Summary. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 32:109-19
Harper, Michael S; Guo, Kejun; Gibbert, Kathrin et al. (2015) Interferon-? Subtypes in an Ex Vivo Model of Acute HIV-1 Infection: Expression, Potency and Effector Mechanisms. PLoS Pathog 11:e1005254
Lavender, Kerry J; Pang, Wendy W; Messer, Ronald J et al. (2013) BLT-humanized C57BL/6 Rag2-/-?c-/-CD47-/- mice are resistant to GVHD and develop B- and T-cell immunity to HIV infection. Blood 122:4013-20