Division of Viral Pathogenesis, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. nletvin@bidmc.harvard.edu
Recent experimental observations suggest approaches to immunization that might finally result in at least a partially effective vaccine against infection with HIV-1. In particular, advances in our understanding of the contribution of vaccine-elicited cellular immunity to protecting memory CD4(+) T cells from virus-mediated destruction provide rational strategies for the development of this vaccine. This is therefore an ideal time to review our current understanding of HIV-1 and its control by the immune system, as well as the remaining problems that must be solved to facilitate the development of an effective vaccine against AIDS.