Adjuvant-Dependent Enhancement of HIV Env-Specific Antibody Responses in Infant Rhesus Macaques

Alum remains the adjuvant of choice for pediatric vaccines. Yet the distinct nature of the developing immune system in infants likely requires novel adjuvants targeted specifically at the pediatric population to reach maximal vaccine efficacy with an acceptable safety profile. The current study supports the idea that additional adjuvants for pediatric vaccines should be, and need to be, tested in infants for their potential to enhance immune responses. Using an infant macaque model, our results suggest that both AS01 and 3M-052-SE can significantly improve and better sustain HIV Env-specific antibody responses than alum. Despite the limited number of animals, the results revealed interesting differences that warrant further testing of promising novel adjuvant candidates in larger preclinical and clinical studies to define the mechanisms leading to adjuvant-improved antibody responses and to identify targets for adjuvant and vaccine optimization.