Norman L. Letvin
Department of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Center for Life Sciences Bldg., Room 1043
330 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: 617-735-4400
email:nletvin@bidmc.harvard.edu
9 postdoctoral fellows, 4 graduate students
This laboratory studies the immune response to HIV infection in man and in nonhuman primate models. Dr. Letvin and his co-workers have defined an AIDS-like disease of monkeys, demonstrated that it is induced by the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a close relative of the human AIDS virus, and have used this disease process as an animal model for the study of AIDS. They are also using it as a model for exploring vaccination strategies for protection against infection with the AIDS virus. In particular, they are assessing the use of live vector systems, naked DNA and peptide formulations to elicit AIDS virus-specific CTL in monkeys and in man. Dr. Letvin is also utilizing the SIV-induced disease of monkeys as a model for studying how cells of the immune system contain the spread of the AIDS virus in the infected individual. These studies have demonstrated the crucial role played by the CD8+ lymphocyte in controlling AIDS virus replication. Finally, the laboratory utilizes SIV-induced disease in monkeys as a model system for examining novel approaches to the treatment of AIDS.
References:
- Greenland JR, Geiben R, Ghosh S, Pastor WA, Letvin NL. Plasmid DNA vaccine-elicited cellular immune responses limit in vivo vaccine antigen expression through Fas-mediated apoptosis. J Immunol 2007 May 1; 178(9):5652-8
- Greenland JR, Letvin NL. Chemical adjuvants for plasmid DNA vaccines. Vaccine 2007 May 10; 25(19):3731-41
- Fischer W, Perkins S, Theiler J, Bhattacharya T, Yusim K, Funkhouser R, Kuiken C, Haynes B, Letvin NL, Walker BD, Hahn BH, Korber BT. Polyvalent vaccines for optimal coverage of potential T-cell epitopes in global HIV-1 variants. Nat Med 2007 Jan; 13(1):100-6
- Huang D, Qiu L, Wang R, Lai X, Du G, Seghal P, Shen Y, Shao L, Halliday L, Fortman J, Shen L, Letvin NL, Chen ZW. Immune gene networks of mycobacterial vaccine-elicited cellular responses and immunity. J Infect Dis 2007 Jan 1; 195(1):55-69
- Schmitz JE, Kuroda MJ, Santra S, Sasseville VG, Simon MA, Lifton MA, Racz P, Tenner-Racz K, Dalesandro M, Scallon BJ, Ghrayeb J, Forman MA, Montefiori DC, Rieber EP, Letvin NL, Reimann KA. Control of viremia in simian immunodeficiency virus infection by CD8+ lymphocytes. Science 1999 Feb 5; 283(5403):857-60
Immunology webpage updated 12/02/2009