MACROPHAGE-ACTIVATING ADJUVANTS FOR HIV VACCINES

THE YEAST-CELL-WALL COMPONENT, BETA-GLUCAN, IS A POTENT ACTIVATOR OF BOTH HUMORAL AND CELLULAR SYSTEMS OF HOST DEFENSE. IT IS NOW KNOWN THAT ONE OF THE MECHANISMS CONTROLLING THESE RESPONSES IS ACTIVATION OF MONONUCLEAR AND POLYMORPHONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES VIA SPECIFIC CELL-SURFACE BETA-GLUCAN RECEPTORS. STUDIES WITH LABORATORY ANIMALS REVEAL THAT THE YEAST BETA-GLUCAN INITIATES IMMUNOLOGIC REACTIVITY IN THE NONIMMUNE HOST AND STIMULATES THE PRODUCTION OF HIGHER TITERS OF SERUM ANTIBODIES TO SPECIFIC ANTIGENS. ALPHA-BETA TECHNOLOGY, INC.'S, GLUCAN MATRIX PRODUCT, TRADE NAMED ADJUVAX (TM), IS A NONTOXIC, NONANTIGENIC, AND BIODEGRADABLE MICROCAPSULE, MAKING IT AN INTERESTING CANDIDATE FOR ADJUVANT AND ANTIGEN DELIVERY APPLICATIONS. IN ADDITION, THIS PRODUCT HAS A DEFINED COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, AND MECHANISM OF ACTION, UNLIKE MANY OTHER ADJUVANTS. THE ABILITY TO GENETICALLY ENGINEER NOVEL GLUCAN STRUCTURES AND THEN ASSAY THEIR MACROPHAGE-ACTIVATING PROPERTIES WILL ALLOW FOR THE DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF THE OPTIMALLY EFFICACIOUS PREPARATION. IN VIEW OF THE BROAD IMMUNOSTIMULATING PROPERTIES OF ADJUVAX(TM), ITS DEVELOPMENT AS AN ADJUVANT FOR USE WITH AN ARRAY OF HIV ANTIGENS IS PROPOSED. IT CAN BE USED AS A NONATTACHED ADJUVANT, OR ADDITIONALLY FUNCTION AS AN ENTRAPPING CARRIER OR COVALENTLY BOUND VEHICLE FOR TARGETED ANTIGEN DELIVERY TO MACROPHAGES.