Autologous CD4/CD8 co-culture assay: A physiologically-relevant composite measure of CD8+ T lymphocyte function in HIV-infected persons

During HIV-1 infection, the CD8+ T lymphocyte response is critical to controlling the virus; indeed, the development of AIDS results, in large part, from the eventual failure of this response. The ability to measure the composite CD8+ T lymphocyte anti-viral activity is, therefore, an essential requirement in the evaluation of immune based therapies and potential vaccines. We report here the details of a reproducible assay that measures the ability of CD8+ T lymphocytes to suppress viral production by infected autologous CD4+ T lymphocytes. The assay is not limited to persons with any specific HLA type, and the use of bi-specific antibodies for cell expansion makes the assay feasible in situations where cell numbers may be limiting. The measurement of viral production over time provides a global readout of the CD8+ T lymphocyte overall function against HIV-1, which can be used for longitudinal assessment of individual HIV-infected persons in order to evaluate therapy, immune reconstitution, and new vaccines.