Simian Varicella Virus Antibody Response in Recombinant SVV-SIV Immunized Primates

Since its emergence in the early 1980’s HIV has killed approximately 32 million people, and continues to kill over half a million people every year. Significant research into potential vaccines and cures for HIV has been ongoing for decades but has been largely unsuccessful. One of the more promising technologies that is being investigated to develop an HIV vaccine is recombinant vaccine technology. The study presented in this thesis aims to use simian varicella virus (SVV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) to act as a model for recombinant vaccine development. If a recombinant SVV-SIV vaccine can be proven safe and effective at preventing SIV in monkeys, it could provide data to aid in the development of a potential HIV vaccine for humans. Specifically, it could aid in the development of a recombinant varicella zoster virus expressing human immunodeficiency virus antigens (rVZV-HIV). In this thesis, sera from rhesus macaques that were immunized with a rSVV-SIV vaccine are analyzed. Antibody titers against SVV were determined using an indirect ELISA assay. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the humoral response against the SVV vector in rSVV-SIV immunized rhesus macaques