ANTIBODIES TO FIGHT HIV DISCOVERED

 Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) have discovered a new vulnerable site on HIV that antibodies can attack to prevent infection

1       An antibody (AB), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large Y-shape protein produced by plasma cells that is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, called an antigen.

        

The new target, on hiv according to researchers offers a stable mark for vaccine design, increasing the potential to find a vaccine that can provide broad, lasting protection to people around the world.  Dennis R. Burton, professor in TSRI’s Department of Immunology and Microbial Science and scientific director of the IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center told that they have discovered a new potential site on HIV where antibodies can attack.till now only few vulnerable sites has been known, but with discovery of this site they are expecting good results with a vaccine. A team of scientists led by Dr Burton, identified and described a promising new set of bNAbs saying that two of the antibodies in the series could block infection by more than two-thirds of HIV strains found in patients worldwide

The identification of bnAbs has been a major turning point for HIV vaccine research:

The existence of bnAbs hints that the human immune system is capable of developing antibodies that can work against HIV’s many different forms. bnAbs can be isolated, so scientists can learn about their structure and functions in detail. The places on the virus where bnAbs attach (see illustration) indicate potentially vulnerable locations that research can target with vaccine

A team of scientists led by Dr Burton, identified and described a promising new set of bNAbs saying that two of the antibodies in the series could block infection by more than two-thirds of HIV strains found in patients worldwide

“What is interesting about this study is that scientists identified a target which can generate antibodies against the same target but on many different strains of the virus no matter how many times the virus changes,” says Dr Sebina a Ugandan Cellular Immunologist based in Australia

3BNC117, it belongs to a new generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies that potently fight a wide range of HIV strains. “What's special about these antibodies is that they have activity against over 80% of HIV strains and they are extremely potent,“ said Marina Caskey from the Rockefeller University . Scientists said 3BNC117 shows activity against 195 out of 237 HIV strains In the latest study, uninfected and HIV infected individuals were intravenously given a single dose of the antibody and monitored for 56 days. At the highest dosage levels, 30 mg per kg of weight, all eight infected individuals treated showed up to 300-fold decreases in the strength of the virus measured in their blood.

The researchers now think that by generating this target (antibodies) in the lab and making loads of it, purifying it and making it safe, the may be able vaccinate patients who may generate stronger antibody responses against the virus or in healthy individuals prior to them getting infected, just like other vaccines.