Linear Epitope Mapping by the PEPSCAN Method

The development of vaccine products for the prevention or treatment of HIV requires accurate assessments of the immune response, both humoral and cellular, so that specific responses can be correlated with efficacy. For assay of humoral immunity, a variety of techniques have been developed. The most advanced can pinpoint with high accuracy the epitope for antibodies which bind to continuous stretches of amino acids (“linear” epitopes). Mapping noncontinuous (“conformational”) epitopes is significantly more difficult, but continued effort along these lines is warranted since conformational epitopes are dominant in the natural immune response to HIV-1 (1 ).