Instead of generating immune responses to several HIV proteins and risk over activating more CD4+ T cells (easy targets for HIV-1 infection) as current candidate vaccines try to do, a lower magnitude, narrowly focused, well maintained virus specific CD8+ T cell response to multiple subtypes should destroy and eliminate a few founder viruses without inducing inflammatory responses that may activate more CD4+ T cells and provide more targets for HIV-1 virus infection. Specifically, described herein is a method that focuses the immune response to the 12 protease cleavage sites.

The present invention generally relates to compositions and methods for delivering a vaccine. The compositions and methods disclosed herein are particularly useful in making bacterial and viral vaccines

Particular aspects provide for use of the β-herpesvirus Cytomegalovirus (CMV: e.g., RhCMV and HCMV) as a uniquely evolved “vector” for safely initiating and indefinitely maintaining high level cellular and humoral immune responses (against, e.g., HIV, SIV, TB, etc.). Particular aspects provide a method for treatment or prevention of, e.g., HIV, SIV or TB, comprising infection of a subject in need thereof with at least one recombinant CMV-based vector (e.g., HCMV or RhCMV) comprising an expressible HIV/SIV/TB antigen or a variant or fusion protein thereof. In particular embodiments of the method, infection is of an to immunocompetent, HCMV or RhCMV seropositive subject. Additional aspects provide for RhCMV- and HCMV-based vaccine vectors, and versions thereof with suicide or safety means. Further aspects provide pharmaceutical compositions comprising the inventive CMV-based vaccine vectors.

Instead of generating immune responses to several HIV proteins and risk over activating more CD4+ T cells (easy targets for HIV-1 infection) as current candidate vaccines try to do, a lower magnitude, narrowly focused, well maintained virus specific CD8+ T cell response to multiple subtypes should destroy and eliminate a few founder viruses without inducing inflammatory responses that may activate more CD4+ T cells and provide more targets for HIV-1 virus infection. Specifically, described herein is a method that focuses the immune response to the 12 protease cleavage sites.

A modified T cell comprises: i) an exogenous Negative Regulatory Factor (Nef) protein; and ii) a functional exogenous receptor comprising: (a) an extracellular ligand binding domain, (b) a transmembrane domain, and (c) an intracellular signaling domain (ISD) comprising a chimeric signaling domain (CMSD), wherein the CMSD comprises one or a plurality of Immune-receptor Tyrosine-based Activation Motifs (ITAMs), wherein the plurality of CMSD ITAMs are optionally connected by one or more linkers. Provided are also Nef proteins (e.g., non-naturally occurring Nef), and modified T cells comprising such Nef proteins. Provided are methods of making and uses thereof.

A modified T cell comprising a functional exogenous receptor is provided. The functional exogenous receptor comprises: (a) an extracellular ligand binding domain, (b) a transmembrane domain, and (c) an intracellular signaling domain (ISD) comprising a chimeric signaling domain (CMSD), wherein the CMSD comprises a plurality of Immune-receptor Tyrosine-based Activation Motifs (ITAMs) optionally connected by one or more linkers. Further provided are vectors, methods of producing, pharmaceutical compositions, kits, and methods of treatment thereof.

Instead of generating immune responses to several HIV proteins and risk over activating more CD4+ T cells (easy targets for HIV-1 infection) as current candidate vaccines try to do, a lower magnitude, narrowly focused, well maintained virus specific CD8+ T cell response to multiple subtypes should destroy and eliminate a few founder viruses without inducing inflammatory responses that may activate more CD4+ T cells and provide more targets for HIV-1 virus infection. Specifically, described herein is a method that focuses the immune response to the 12 protease cleavage sites.

Provided are HIV-1 fusion polypeptides, polynucleotides encoding such fusion polypeptides, vectors expressing such fusion polypeptides for use in eliciting an immune response against HIV-1; pharmaceutical and immunogenic compositions and kits comprising such fusion polypeptides, polynucleotides or vectors, and methods of use in treating and/or preventing HIV-1. Further provided are methods for design of antiviral vaccines, including vaccines to elicit an immune response against HIV-1.

Compositions and methods of use are provided to boost a primed immune response to HIV. More specifically, the present invention relates to vaccine compositions comprising an HIV-protein boost or an MVA-expressed Env protein and methods of use. Exemplary HIV proteins for protein boosts include proteins such as gp120 proteins B.63521A11mutC and full-length single chain (FLSC), which has been modified to stabilize a CD4-induced Env structure. Exemplary MVAs expressing secreted Methods of administration and dosing regimens are also provided.

Poxvirus vectors encoding a synthetic HIV envelope antigen and other HIV antigens, as well as compositions containing such poxvirus vectors and uses of such poxvirus vectors as vaccines to provide improved immunity against HIV, are provided. Also provided are vaccine combinations containing the disclosed poxvirus vectors, adenovirus vectors encoding one or more HIV antigens, and one or more isolated HIV antigenic polypeptides, and methods of using the vaccine combinations to provide improved immunity against HIV.