The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) led a team to develop a vaccine approach that functions similarly to a GPS, directing the immune system through specific steps to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.
According to the study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, the approach provides detailed instructions for the immune system to generate the elusive and essential antibodies.
or a vaccine to effectively combat HIV.
“HIV is constantly evolving, making it a challenge to develop a vaccine that can produce antibodies capable of neutralizing a wide range of HIV strains,” explained Kevin Wiehe, Ph.D., lead author and associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine. He is also the director of research at DHVI.
Wiehe and his team began with a modified form of a broadly neutralizing antibody in its original state, prior to any mutations. Recognizing that the antibody would need to mutate in order to adapt to the ever-changing HIV virus, the Researchers then proceeded to add mutations one at a time to see which ones were crucial for the antibody to effectively neutralize HIV. This approach helped them identify the specific points in the process of developing broadly neutralizing antibodies. Subsequently, they created a vaccine that provided the immune system with step-by-step instructions to follow the mutational pathway.
By using mice that were specifically bred to produce the original antibody, the researchers showed that this guidance system approach stimulated the immune system to produce the desired antibodies. This study demonstrates the potential of this method.”The mutation-guided vaccine technique has potential to be effective,” Wiehe stated. He also mentioned that this method could be applied to creating vaccines for various diseases. “This approach could offer a way to develop vaccines that instruct the immune system to produce any desired antibody, whether it’s a broadly effective antibody against all strains of coronavirus or an anti-cancer antibody.”
Wiehe expressed that the next step is to replicate the study in primates and eventually in humans.
Other than Wiehe, the researchers involved in the study are Kevin O. Saunders, Victoria Stalls, Derek W. Cain, Sravani Venkatayogi, Joshua S. Martin Beem, Madison Berry, Tyler Evangelous, and Rory Henders.Bhavna Hora, Shi-Mao Xia, Chuancang Jiang, Amanda Newman, Cindy Bowman, Xiaozhi Lu, Mary E. Bryan, Joena Bal, Aja Sanzone, Haiyan Chen, Amanda Eaton, Mark A. Tomai, Christopher B. Fox, Ying Tam, Christopher Barbosa, Mattia Bonsignori, Hiromi Muramatsu, S. Manir Alam, David Montefiori, Wilton B. Williams, Norbert Pardi, Ming Tian, Drew Weissman, Frederick W. Alt, Priyamvada Acharya, and Barton F. Haynes were involved in the study.
Funding support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health (UM1AI144371, 1U19AI135902-01, P01AI131251-01).
The study was referenced in a journal.References::
- The authors of this study include Kevin Wiehe, Kevin O. Saunders, Victoria Stalls, Derek W. Cain, Sravani Venkatayogi, Joshua S. Martin Beem, Madison Berry, Tyler Evangelous, Rory Henderson, Bhavna Hora, Shi-Mao Xia, Chuancang Jiang, Amanda Newman, Cindy Bowman, Xiaozhi Lu, Mary E. Bryan, Joena Bal, Aja Sanzone, Haiyan Chen, Amanda Eaton, Mark A. Tomai, Christopher B. Fox, Ying K. Tam, Christopher Barbosa, Mattia Bonsignori, Hiromi Muramatsu, S. Munir Alam, David C. Montefiori, Wilton B. Williams, Norbert Pardi, Ming Tian, Drew Weissman, Frederick W. Alt, Priyamvada Acharya, and Barton F. Haynes.
The study focuses on mutation-guided vaccine design.A new method has been developed to create immunogens that can enhance the production of broadly neutralizing antibodies for HIV. Â
