NIH R01 · 2024
Non-canonical epitope presentation and antigen processing by MHC-E
Project Summary In the course of developing cytomegalovirus (CMV) as a new vaccine platform for eliciting effector differentiated T cell immunity, we observed that rhesus CMV (RhCMV) expressing simian immunodeficiency (SIV) antigens elicit immune responses that control and ultimately clear highly pathogenic SIV. Surprisingly however, protection was only observed with genetically modified vectors eliciting CD8+ T cells restricted by non-polymorphic, highly conserved MHC-E instead of classical MHC-I. Targeting HIV peptides presented by HLA-E thus represents a novel, unexpected and unconventional approach to AIDS vaccine development that has recently entered the clinical phase. However, we…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.