October 2002  

Research on Dendritic Cells May Hold the Key to Microbicide and HIV Vaccine Development

Melissa Pope, an immunologist at the Population Council’s Center for Biomedical Research, is conducting research on dendritic cells that may point the way toward the development of effective HIV vaccines and microbicides (see "Population Council takes a leading role in emerging AIDS-prevention area" in this issue). Dendritic cells, positioned within mucous membranes throughout the body, are among the first white blood cells that encounter HIV following sexual or mother-to-child infection.

Council immunologist Melissa Pope.

Pope, who joined the Council from Rockefeller University last October, has contributed to one of the major accepted theories for the mechanism of sexual transmission of HIV. Her research on the role of dendritic cells in HIV infection has earned recognition from numerous organizations, including, in February 2002, a prestigious award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The award honors Pope’s research on strategies to enhance dendritic cell function to boost oral vaccine efficiency, a vital step in preventing infection with HIV and other pathogens in children. Her work is also supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, which has provided funding of research on next generation microbicides that allows Pope to evaluate how the formulations under investigation could influence dendritic cells in ways that may reduce the transmission of HIV.

“We still have a lot to learn about the interactions between HIV, dendritic cells, and other immune cells,” Pope said. “But this basic research—mapping out these microscopic cellular activities—lays the groundwork for the development of products that may one day save people’s lives.”

(Return to issue contents)