# Elicitation of mucosal immune responses against HIV

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $705,624

## Abstract

Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) primarily enters the host and initiates infection through mucosal tissues.
Therefore, a vaccination strategy that can elicit cellular and humoral immune responses in mucosal tissues is
urgently needed. However, there is currently no approved adjuvant that can achieve robust levels of both T-cell
and antibody responses in mucosal tissues. Therefore, there is a critical need for an alternative, effective, and
safe strategy for mucosal vaccination. Our long-range goal is to develop vaccine delivery systems that can
elicit protective immunity against HIV-1. Our objective here is to engineer nanoparticles for mucosal delivery
of HIV-1 antigens and investigate their impact on elicitation of systemic and mucosal immune responses. To
that end, we have developed a new nanoparticle (NP) system that can elicit strong cytotoxic CD8+ T
lymphocyte (CTL) responses with subunit protein antigens. We show that these new vaccine NPs promote
antigen delivery to antigen-presenting cells in vivo, generate CTLs that disseminate to mucosal tissues,
including cervicovaginal and gastrointestinal tracts, and protect animals against viral infection. We also show
that NPs induce significantly higher antibody titers, lasting > 400 days in mice with greater avidity, durability,
and breadth, compared with conventional adjuvants on the market (e.g. alum or Montanide). Based on these
preliminary data, we propose to develop a new NP-based strategy for mucosal immunization against HIV-1.
We will test our central hypothesis that NPs incorporated with T and B-cell HIV-1 immunogens will elicit
concerted cellular and humoral immune responses in mucosal tissues. At the completion of the proposed
studies, we will have identified a new vaccination technology that can induce mucosal T and B cell responses
against HIV-1. These studies will accelerate HIV-1 vaccine development and advance our understanding of the
impact of vaccine delivery systems on mucosal immunity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9989017
- **Project number:** 5R01AI127070-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** James J. Moon
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $705,624
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-26 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9989017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9989017, Elicitation of mucosal immune responses against HIV (5R01AI127070-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9989017. Licensed CC0.

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