Dr. M. Juliana McElrath

Protection and Control of HIV-1 Infection by T Cell Immunity.

Our laboratory seeks to identify the components of immunity that are important in preventing and controlling HIV-1 infection. Our goal is to understand how T cell memory is induced both in natural infection and by immunization, and to identify the properties of T cells that confer containment or eradiation of HIV-1.
Our studies encompass a broad range of immunologic investigations in persons who experience unusual control of HIV-1 infection. These include individuals with newly diagnosed infection, those with long-term non-progressive disease who control infection for more than a decade without antiretroviral treatment, and individuals repeatedly exposed but not infected. These clinical cohorts have been assembled for longitudinal studies in both Seattle and in countries where the HIV epidemic is widespread (South Africa, Uganda). Most recent studies focus on African HIV discordant couples, providing a unique opportunity to address host characteristics that lead to altered susceptibility to infection and transmission. In addition, we have targeted studies to gain further understanding of how HIV-1 gains entry into the mucosa and the induction of HIV-specific mucosal immunity.
We also devote extensive efforts to HIV-1 vaccine development. First, we lead a large collaborative project to identify innate immune mechanisms that may enhance adaptive immunological memory to HIV. Further, our laboratory program oversees the evaluation of multiple candidate vaccines in a international vaccine network, which provides basic insights into how different vaccine modalities elicit optimal B- and T-cell immunity to HIV-1 that may be ultimately protective against infection and disease.