# EXPERIMENTAL LEPROSY/VACCINE STUDIES IN MANGABEYS

> **NIH NIH R01** · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 1992 · $344,714

## Abstract

The goals of this proposal are:  1) to evaluate protective immunity in
sooty mangabey monkeys (Cercocebus atys) by challenge with viable
Mycobacterium leprae after immunization with live BCG alone or in
combination with two doses of heat killed, whole M. leprae. 2) to
evaluate the clinical, pathologic and immunologic  effects of M. leprae
infection in mangabeys after vaccination and throughout the course of
disease and treatment and 3) to study the nature of the immune defects in
mangabey with LL leprosy.

There are 12 to 15 million leprosy patients worldwide, many of them in
underdeveloped areas where chemotherapy is impractical and/or too
expensive. The development of an effective vaccine would obviate the
necessity for therapy. Monkeys are phylogenetically similar to man, and
lepromatous (L) leprosy in the mangabey monkey is clinically and
immunologically similar to humans. Immunity will be assessed
longitudinally before and after vaccination of mangabey monkeys by: skin
testing with soluble Rees M. leprae to determine the effectiveness of
vaccination. We will study immune parameters longitudinally in control,
vaccinated and experimentally infected mangabeys to monitor the dynamics
of leprosy-induced changes relative to the observed cyclic rhythm. We
will compare control mangabeys to those with early and late LL leprosy
(both disseminated and nondisseminated) to dissect the mechanism of the
immune unresponsiveness induced in managabey by LL leprosy. In these
studies we will monitor the following in blood mononuclear cells (MNC).
1) in vitro responses to mitogens (Con A, PHA and PWM) and to Dharmendra
lepromin (D-lep); 2) binding by monoclonal antibodies; and 3) pokeweed
mitogen-induced immunoglobulin plaque-forming cell numbers. Levels of
serum antibodies (IgG, IgM, IgA) to M. leprae-specific phenolic
glycolipid 1 antigen will be determined.

Lymphocytes (L) and monocytes (MO) will be separated into subpopulations
and will studied separately and in various recombinations for normal
responses to D-lep. Levels of lymphokine production [gamma-interferon
(gamma-IFN); interleukin 1 (IL-1) and IL-2] by the various MNC
subpopulations will be determine. Pure lymphokines will be added back to
cell fractions from mangabeys with LL in attempts to reconstitute normal
responses to mitogens and to D-lep.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3128660
- **Project number:** 5R01AI019302-07
- **Recipient organization:** TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** XNY5ULPU8EN6
- **Principal Investigator:** BOBBY J GORMUS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $344,714
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-09-01 → 1993-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3128660

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3128660, EXPERIMENTAL LEPROSY/VACCINE STUDIES IN MANGABEYS (5R01AI019302-07). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3128660. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*