Pharmaceutical composition for immunisation against aids

#The present invention relates to the field of pharmaceutical compositions for use in immunization against HIV-related infections.

#Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, is a disease against which it would be highly desirable to be able to have a vaccine, and in particular a vaccine for use in prophylaxis. Now, until today, the development of such a vaccine has come up against many problems, including in particular the diverse forms which the HIV virus can take, also the difficulties in identifying the correlates of immunity against HIV, i.e. the immune factors capable of protecting against viruses. Cases of individuals who have been exposed and not infected, and also studies on “non-progressors” give indications, however, and direct research toward the induction of 2 types of immune response: the response by antibodies (humoral response) and the cellular response.

#The humoral response that it is desirable to provoke is not only a systemic humoral response, but also a mucosal response since it is desirable to be able to put up an immune barrier against the virus at the site of its entry into the organism.

#DC-Chol hydrochloride was used (obtained according to the method of preparation described in Example 8 of patent application WO 96/40067), which was suspended at 20 mg/ml in TRIS-NaCl buffer (20 mM TRIS, 150 mM NaCl, pH 6.8). After 8 hours with stirring at 35-40° C. under argon, the suspension was microfluidized using an M-110S microfluidizer from Microfluidics (10 cycles at 500 kPa), in order to generate a homogeneous suspension of DC-Chol, which was filtered through a 0.45 μm Millex filter.

#Oligonucleotides were prepared using an automatic synthesizer provided by Applied Biosystems, which uses the standard phosphoramidite chemical method and which comprises an oxidation step at each cycle.

#This oxidation step was carried out using an iodine/water/tetrahydrofuran/acetonitrile solution so as to obtain a phosphodiester bond, and using a tetraethylthiuram/acetonitrile solution so as to obtain a phosphorothioate bond.