Methods and reagents for vaccination which generate a CD8 T cell immune response

Abstract

New methods and reagents for vaccination are described which generate a CD8 T cell immune response against malarial and other antigens such as viral and tumour antigens. Novel vaccination regimes are described which employ a priming composition and a boosting composition, the boosting composition comprising a non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus vector carrying at least one CD8 T cell epitope which is also present in the priming composition.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for generating a CD8+T cell immune response in a mammal against a pathogen or tumor, comprising administering to said mammal at least one dose of a recombinant DNA plasmid encoding at least one naturally occurring CD8+T cell epitope or antigen of the pathogen or the tumor, followed by at least one dose of a recombinant non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus encoding the same epitope or antigen.  
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the pathogen is  P. falciparum malaria.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the pathogen is HIV.  
     
     
         4 . A method for generating a CD8+T cell immune response against malaria in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal at least one dose of a recombinant DNA plasmid encoding at least one CD8+T cell epitope or antigen of malaria, followed by at least one dose of a recombinant non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus encoding the same epitope or antigen.  
     
     
         5 . A method for generating a CD8+T cell immune response against a pathogen or tumor in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal 
 i) at least one dose of a recombinant DNA plasmid encoding at least one naturally occurring CD8+T cell epitope or antigen of the pathogen or the tumor, and    ii) at least one dose of a recombinant non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus encoding the same epitope or antigen, wherein the non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus is not a fowlpox virus.    
     
     
         6 . A method for generating a CD8+T cell immune response against a pathogen or a tumor in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal 
 i) at least one dose of a recombinant DNA plasmid encoding at least one naturally occurring CD8+T cell epitope or antigen of the tumor or the pathogen, wherein the epitope or antigen of the pathogen is not the HA antigen of influenza, and    ii) at least one dose of a recombinant non-replicating or replication-impaired pox virus encoding the same epitope or antigen.    
     
     
         7 . A method of boosting a primed CD8+T cell immune response in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal a source of one or more CD8+T cell epitopes of a target antigen, wherein the source of CD8+T cell epitopes is a non-replicating or a replication-impaired viral vector.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the viral vector is a recombinant poxvirus.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the recombinant poxvirus is MVA.