Enhancement of HIV type 1 vaccine immunogenicity by block copolymer adjuvants. I. Induction of high-titer, long-lasting, cross-reactive antibodies of broad isotype.

Improvements in HIV-1 vaccines are urgently needed since many of the available vaccines are weak immunogens. We examined the ability of CRL1005, a novel nonionic block copolymer adjuvant, to improve the immunogenicity of multiple HIV-1 envelope vaccines: six gp120s and single and multiple V3 peptides (MAPs). Formulation of vaccine with adjuvant, as compared with alum or saline, enhanced antibody titer in mice up to 200-fold, with antibody half-lives of >200 days. For most vaccinations, an oil-in-water formulation induced the highest antibody titers; for some antigens, however, particularly single peptides, water-in-oil (w/o) was better. Antigen cross-reactivity was optimized by formulation in w/o, while addition of detoxified lipopolysaccharide enhanced levels of IgG2a and IgG2b. After more than 1 year of observation, no vaccine-related toxicity was observed and emulsified antigen in encapsulated depots was found at immunization sites of w/o-immunized animals. No other adjuvant has been reported to induce such long-lasting antibodies, and the ability of CRL1005 to greatly amplify and qualitatively modify antibody responses suggests that it may be useful in developing improved HIV vaccines for humans.