Conserved HIV-1 Gag and Pol mosaic epitopes (HIV-1 Gag/Pol mosaic epitopes)

Conserved HIV-1 Gag and Pol mosaic epitopes are computationally designed antigens intended to address the extreme genetic diversity of HIV-1 (Fischer et al., 2007, Nature Medicine). These epitopes are derived from the Gag (group-specific antigen) and Pol (polymerase) proteins, which are relatively conserved across different viral strains due to their essential roles in viral structure and replication (Barouch et al., 2013, Nature). The mosaic design involves recombining natural HIV-1 sequences to maximize the representation of potential T-cell epitopes, thereby broadening the immune response across multiple clades (Baden et al., 2020, Lancet). These antigens are typically delivered using viral vectors, such as Adenovirus 26 (Ad26), to stimulate both cellular and humoral immunity. While these mosaic targets have shown the ability to induce robust immune responses in clinical trials like Imbokodo (HVTN 705) and Mosaico (HVTN 706), achieving high-level protection against infection remains a significant challenge in the field of HIV vaccinology (NIH, 2023).

Other names

HIV-1 mosaic antigensGag-Pol mosaic immunogensMosaic HIV-1 Gag and Pol proteinsConserved HIV-1 mosaic epitopesMosaic HIV-1 Gag/Pol/Env

Induction of broad-based T-cell and B-cell immune responses by presenting computationally optimized, conserved viral sequences to the host immune system to recognize and eliminate HIV-infected cells (Barouch et al., 2018, Lancet).