INTRODUCTION
HIV vaccine, SIV infection
Global efforts to halt the spread of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) are insufficient, as an estimated 1.5 million people acquired HIV-1 in 2021 (The functionality of CD8+ T cells serves as an indicator of HIV-progression, and it is, therefore, of interest to assess in a prophylactic vaccination setting. Compelling evidence suggests a protective role for CD8+ T cells in HIV-1 and SIV infection, through control of viral replication. An NHP study investigating a DNA/Ad5 immunization demonstrated that elicited CD8+ T cells decreased both peak and set-point viral loads in breakthrough cases (In addition to the work supporting a role for CD8+ T cell viral control in NHP models and people living with HIV, a protective role for CD8+ T cells in a prophylactic setting has been suggested. Vaccine efficacy in the prophylactic vaccine trial, RV144, was greater in class I HLA A*02 positive participants than in HLA A*02 negative participants in a T-cell-based sieve analysis (From this, it could be suggested that the induction of anti-viral T cells that show broad cross-reactivity across clades is likely to be a crucial facet of an efficacious HIV vaccine (