Scientific Abstract 
The subject of this proposal is a novel approach to the 
therapy of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) , which will 
combine the technologies of adoptive immunotherapy and gene 
transfer. Autologous CD8 + CTL reactive with HIV antigens will be 
cloned in vitro and transduced with the HyTK retrovirus, a 
retroviral vector which expresses a novel selectable suicide gene 
Following transduction, the HIV-specific CTL will then be 
numerically expanded in culture and returned to the donor. 
The proposed study will evaluate administration of HyTK- 
transduced HIV-specific CTL to HIV seropositive patients 
undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for non- 
Hodgkin's lymphoma at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 
(Seattle, WA) . The HyTK retroviral genetic marker will be 
employed for analyzing the persistence and function of the 
engrafted CTL, and this data will be correlated over time with 
levels of host viremia and with other parameters of HIV disease 
activity in the host. In addition, the HyTK selectable suicide 
gene contained in the vector has been designed to permit in vivo 
ablation of the transduced cells in the event that the host 
develops serious side effects as a consequence of the CTL therapy 
Thus, use of this retroviral vector will facilitate analysis of 
the in vivo activity of the transferred clones, and provide 
insights for the design of future trials, as well as enhance the 
safety margin of the T cell therapy for HIV infection. 
Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 15 
