Upon exposure to HIV, most individuals develop an early immune response that limits but does not stop the virus from spreading throughout the body and destroying host immune defenses. A better understanding of cellular and humoral immune responses to HIV during early and acute infection may ultimately contribute to the development of effective vaccines against HIV and AIDS.
 
Dr. Shaw is leading a consortium of investigators from clinical and laboratory research sites in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. They are conducting a comprehensive, integrated analysis of humoral and cellular responses to HIV-1 in people in early and acute stages of infection. Investigators are basing their work on the hypothesis that HIV-1 leads to chronic, persistent infection rather than a rapidly lethal disease because elements of the human immune system partially constrain viral replication over long periods. Ultimately, the project's goal is to contribute to the development of vaccines for HIV and AIDS through better understanding of natural immune response to the virus.
 
Results so far have provided novel insights into immune system responses that confer protective immunity to HIV-1 in the setting of natural infection. Investigators have identified sites on the transmitted HIV-1 surface glycoprotein that are either vulnerable to or shielded from antibody-mediated neutralization. Further, their findings demonstrate a more general strategy for identifying the full-length genome and proteome of transmitted HIV-1, which in future studies may lead to a precise molecular characterization of CTL recognition and escape by HIV-1.