Two antibodies, VRC01 and VRC02, identified in HIV-infected blood, attach to the CD4 binding site of HIV and appear to prevent the virus from attaching to and infecting T cells, according to new research.
Peter D. Kwong, PhD, with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues reported the findings online today in Science.
"The discovery of these exceptionally broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV and the structural analysis that explains how they work are exciting advances that will accelerate our efforts to find a preventive HIV vaccine for global use," said Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a news release.
By determining the atomic structure of VRC01 when attached to HIV, the researchers were able to define how the antibody works and to locate the point of attachment to the virus. This knowledge may facilitate the design of a candidate vaccine that could stimulate the production of antibodies similar to VRC01 that might prevent HIV infection.
One challenge in the "holy grail" of developing a vaccine against HIV has been that the virus continuously changes its surface proteins to evade recognition by the immune system. However, the point of attachment for VRC01 and VRC02 remains constant regardless of changes to the rest of the virus.
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