ALFQ adjuvanted HIV-1 envelope protein vaccination elicits durable functional antibody and cellular responses in nonhuman primates
Adjuvants play an important role in modulating antigen-specific immune responses. We conducted a comparative adjuvant immunogenicity study in Rhesus macaques using HIV-1 subtype B gp120 envelope protein, B.63521, formulated with aluminum hydroxide gel (AH), or a family of liposomal adjuvants known as Army Liposome Formulation (ALF). ALF comprises saturated phospholipids, cholesterol, and monophosphoryl lipid A. Inclusion of QS-21 or adsorption of the antigen to AH, followed by the addition of ALF, generates ALFQ and ALFA, while inclusion of both immunostimulants generates ALFQA. Priming with canarypox vector ALVAC, followed by boosting with ALVAC and gp120 formulated with each of the four adjuvants, resulted in ALFQ and ALFQA outperforming AH and ALFA vaccine formulations with a high frequency of antigen-specific plasma cells in the bone marrow, robust antibodies, and Env-specific polyfunctional CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell responses. Transcriptomic analyses revealed upregulation of antiviral and innate immune pathways, thus highlighting ALFQ as a highly potent adjuvant.
Authors
- Justin Pollara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1892-4722)
- Hung V. Trinh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8014-9291)
- Jessica S. Bolton
- Carl R. Alving (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1913-3909)
- Kristina K. Peachman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8568-1439)
- Elina Misicka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2794-1225)
- Gary R. Matyas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2074-2373)
- Dominic Paquin‐Proulx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1407-3414)
- Shalini Jha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9792-2161)
- Guido Ferrari
- Joshua M. Carmen
- Simona Mutascio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0542-748X)
- Victoria R. Polonis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4827-9923)
- Kawthar Machmach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-1726)
- Barton F. Haynes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7643-9023)
- Julie A. Ake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3831-5828)
- Lindsay Wieczorek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2261-8773)
- Genoveffa Franchini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2851-6589)
- Gautam Kundu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3924-5158)
- Shraddha Basu
- Mohammad Arif Rahman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-8943)
- Zoltán Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3818-7475)
- Shikha Shrivastava (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6276-0791)
- Isabella Swafford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-2772)
- Phuong Nguyen
- Lauren K. Yum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2439-561X)
- Elke S. Bergmann‐Leitner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8571-8956)
- Jiae Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2900-1667)
- Danielle Nettere (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6238-1991)
- Mangala Rao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9553-4969)
- Adam Yates
- Elaine Morrison
- Ousman Jobe
- Rasmi Thomas
- Lorean Rosado
- Michelle Zemil McCrea
- Ryan Alving
Institutions
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation (US)
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities (US)
- Missile Defense Agency (US)
- Naval Medical Research Command (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Pfizer (United States) (US)
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- National Cancer Institute (US)
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Vaccines
- Published
- 2025-12-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-025-01322-7
- Primary Topic
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation
- Sanofi
- National Institutes of Health
- Sanofi Pasteur
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research