%0 Journal Article
%T A follow-up study: 6-year cART-free virologic control of rhesus macaques after PD-1-based DNA vaccination against pathogenic SHIVSF162P3CN challenge.
%A He X
%A Wong YC
%A Zhong M
%A Mo Y
%A Li B
%A Yim LY
%A Li X
%A Liu W
%A Du Y
%A Wang H
%A Zhang H
%A Chen Z
%J Microbiol Spectr
%V 11
%N 6
%D 2023 Dec 12
%M 37921496
%F 9.043
%R 10.1128/spectrum.03350-23
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>Efficient strategies for HIV-1 cART-free virologic control are critical for ending the AIDS pandemic. The essential role of effector-memory CD8+ T cells in controlling viremia and eliminating virus-infected cells has made them a promising target for vaccine development. It has been previously reported that PD-1-based DNA vaccination was effective in inducing polyfunctional effector-memory CD8+ T cells for AIDS virus control for 2 years in rhesus monkeys. This follow-up study extends the findings and shows that a viremia-free period of over 6 years was detected in two monkeys immunized with PD-1-based DNA vaccine against pathogenic SHIVSF162P3CN infection in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. Long-term vaccine-induced memory T cell responses were detected. Our results warrant the clinical trials of PD-1-based DNA vaccines for achieving HIV-1 cART-free virologic control used either alone or in combination with other biomedical interventions.