Immunotechnology: Preparation of Immunotherapeutic Reagents and Development of Immunopharmacologic Vaccines

摘要

The objective of this contract is to explore the potential application of several recent and expanding discoveries in immunology to the problems of diagnosis and therapy of human disease. These recent discoveries include the production of monoclonal antibodies, the cloning of human T lymphocytes, and the manipulation of immunity using anti-idiotypic antibody. We have developed an experimental system to study Herpes Virus (HSV) immunity in man. Individuals with primary and with recurrent disease have been recruited to our donor panel and, using their cryopreserved lymphocytes, immune responses have been generated in tissue culture to this pathogenic virus and to its components. From these responses T cell lines have been produced and propagated in vitro. These lines exhibit the properties of a pool of T cell clones having immunity to HSV. In addition numerous clones of T lymphocytes (over 100) derived from single precursor cells have been produced and expanded to large numbers for study using these new tissue culture methods. Large scale production of virus and of selected antigenic components has been completed and tested. These materials are being used as antigens in various immunizations, in assays of t-cell immunity and in serological tests. In the mouse model we are analyzing the ability of immune T cells to protect normal mice from the lethal HSV infection. We have succeeded to produce T cell lines and clones of virus-immune T lymphocytes and are now testing their specificity, phenotype and function.