Development of a therapeutic vaccine for HSV-2.

A therapeutic vaccine for genital herpes is clearly needed. Vaccines recently developed for HSV-2 in humans have been aimed at eliciting CD4+ T cell responses and neutralizing antibody responses to two HSV-2 glycoproteins (gB and gD). These vaccines have had no therapeutic effect against HSV-2 in human clinical trials. To enable development of an efficacious vaccine, Corixa Corporation has made a major effort to identify novel antigens that can be recognized by human HSV-2-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Corixa Corporation's proprietary adjuvants and delivery systems, when combined with appropriate antigens, may allow the development of an effective therapeutic vaccine for HSV-2.