Epithelial stem cells as mucosal antigen-delivering cells: a novel preventive approach

HIV transmission occurs predominantly across mucosal surfaces. An ideal preventive strategy would be to target HIV at mucosal entry sites to prevent infection. We developed a novel epithelial stem cells-based AIDS preventive approach in female macaques. This approach is based on the ability of therapeutic lentiviral vectors integrated in mucosal epithelial stem cells to induce virus-specific cellular immune responses at mucosal sites of viral entry. We first intended to expose the cervicovaginal tract to conditions used for intravaginal vaccine delivery and non-invasively image local tissues to determine the vaccination effects on epithelial integrity and generation of antigen-specific mucosal immune responses.