Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of peptide-pulsed cellular immunotherapy in macaques

Abstract

Background: Simple and effective delivery methods for cellular immunotherapies are needed. We recently published on the effectiveness of using ex vivo pulsing of overlapping SIV Gag 15mer peptides onto fresh peripheral blood cells in 32 SIVmac251-infected pigtail macaques. Methods: We now report on the safety of this approach, analysis of a novel assay for immunogenicity, the effect of an MHC allele, Mane-A*10, on CD8 T cell escape occurring and disease outcome. Results: The vaccine strategy was safe, with no perturbations in weight or hematological profiles in comparison to controls. The high levels of SIV-specific T cell immunogenicity of this approach was confirmed using a novel assay mea..