Characterization of T Cell Responses Following Yellow Fever Virus Vaccination in Healthy Adults

The investigators at Rockefeller University are doing this research to study how the immune system responds to viruses and other infectious agents by using the yellow fever 17D vaccine as a model. The YFV-17D vaccine is one of the safest and most effective vaccines known and has been used to vaccinate humans against yellow fever virus (YFV) infection since the 1930s. By studying how the human immune system responds to the YFV vaccine we hope to learn more about the normal functioning of the immune system so that it might be possible to design new, more effective types of vaccines to prevent important infectious diseases.

The reason for doing this research is:

Currently there is very little information about which factors determine the effectiveness of the initial (primary) immune response to a foreign substance (antigen), such as a virus, that person may be exposed to. There is also very little known about what determines how effectively and for how long a person's immune system can react to the same antigen to prevent another infection. Studies in animals have given us important information about how the immune systems of other animals behave upon initial or repeated exposure to antigens,but these topics have not been studied in detail in humans.

The following hypotheses will be tested:

• The magnitude of the initial expansion of T lymphocytes (the "clonal burst") specific for the infecting virus determines the level at which memory T cell responses are generated against the specific viral antigen and the duration of the memory T cell response generated in the body.
• The majority of CD8 T cells generated after immunization are yellow fever specific and not "bystander activation" of non-specific cells.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Yellow Fever

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 8

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10021
      • Rockefeller University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Rockefeller University Personnel

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Able to give informed consent.
2. Age 18-45 years.
3. Agrees not to take any vaccines within 30 days before or 30 days after YFV vaccination.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Previously vaccinated with yellow fever vaccine.
2. A history of a medical condition resulting in impaired immunity.
3. Use of immunosuppressive medications.
4. Thymus gland dysfunction.
5. Recipient of a blood product or immune globulin product within 42 days of the screening visit or 30 days after the YFV vaccination.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Rockefeller University
• Collaborators: Emory University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Charles M Rice, PhD, Rockefeller University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 23, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 14, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): February 15, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 8, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 7, 2011
• Last Verified: November 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Yellow Fever
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Arbovirus Infections; Vector Borne Diseases; Flavivirus Infections; Flaviviridae Infections; Body Temperature Changes; Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral; Fever; Yellow Fever
• Other Study ID Numbers: RUH IRB # CRI-0618