Recipients

The only known way to stop the progression of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is through highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), where a combination of antiretroviral drugs are administered. Unfortunately, this therapy is unable to eliminate the residual viruses remaining in patients. Dr. Yufeng Xie is developing a new aTexo vaccine and refining it to effectively remove those residual viruses.
The new aTexo vaccine strategy uses small vesicles, or exosomes, that are released from dendritic cells, which contain all the necessary machinery for eliciting cytotoxic immune responses. Cytotoxic T cells are immune cells that recognize and kill virally infected cells. These cells are critical in controlling HIV-1 proliferation, but require another type of immune cell, called a helper T cell for their generation and maintenance. Helper T cells, however, are one of the major types of cells in the body that become infected with the HIV virus. The exosomes in the new vaccine can activate cytotoxic T cells even in the absence of helper T cells.
Dr. Xie is using this strategy to combine several HIV proteins. The research could lead to the development of a novel way to stimulate cytotoxic T cell responses in persons with AIDS who have reduced numbers of helper T cells.

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