Immunological monitoring during therapeutic vaccination as a prerequisite

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Vaccine 2002 Oct 4;20(29-30):3598



Immunological monitoring during therapeutic vaccination as a prerequisite
for the design of new effective therapies: induction of a vaccine-specific
CD4+ T-cell proliferative response in chronic hepatitis B carriers.

Jung M, Gruner N, Zachoval R, Schraut W, Gerlach T, Diepolder H, Schirren C, Page M, Bailey J, Birtles E, Whitehead E, Trojan J, Zeuzem S, Pape G
Medical Department II, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich,
Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

[Medline record in process]


We characterized the anti-viral T-cell response in 22 chronically infected
patients, who participated in a European multi-center randomized
placebo-controlled, double-blind study therapeutic vaccination trial with
pre-S1, pre-S2 and S antigenic components of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It induced a significant HBsAg-specific T-cell proliferation and the production
of Th2-cytokines (i.e. IL-5). A specific induction of Th1-lymphokines was
not detectable although this has been demonstrated in this study in response to the nucleocapsid protein (HBcAg). Further analysis indicated that this approach does not activate HBV-specific CD8+ T-lymphocytes as detected by ELISPOT-assay. Our results might explain why a specific therapeutic vaccine, although safe and well-tolerated is not always able to break tolerance leading to the clearance of the hepatitis B virus.

PMID: 12297407, UI: 22234469