HIV-1 Tat vaccine

The HIV-1 Tat vaccine is a therapeutic and investigational immunization strategy targeting the transactivator of transcription (Tat) protein of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The mechanism of action involves inducing immune responses against the extracellular Tat protein, which plays a critical role in viral replication by enhancing transcriptional initiation and elongation at the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) through recruitment of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) to TAR RNA. By generating anti-Tat antibodies and cellular immunity, the vaccine aims to neutralize extracellular Tat activity, reduce immune activation and dysfunction in treated individuals, destabilize latent viral reservoirs, increase CD4+ T cell counts, improve CD4+/CD8+ ratios, and potentially provide a functional cure or intensification to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Clinical studies have shown that vaccination with the active recombinant or DNA-based forms of the Tat protein is safe and can lead to durable immune responses as well as reductions in proviral DNA load among people living with HIV on ART[1][3][5][8].

Other names

HIV-1 Tat protein vaccineHIV1 Tat protein vaccineHIV 1 Tat protein vaccineTat-based therapeutic vaccine