Thinking about broadly cross-reactive vaccines

Abstract

Successful vaccines function almost exclusively by establishing long-lived plasma cells that secrete antibody into the blood and at mucosal sites. Some pathogens, such as HIV and the influenza A viruses, use a mutational strategy to escape neutralization by antibodies specific for surface glycoproteins.The CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response is, on the other hand, directed mostly at peptides derived from conserved, internal virus proteins. Can CTL memory be manipulated to provide cross-reactive protection? © 2009 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.