Vaccine Institute successfully
tested HIV vaccine
In a major step forward for HIV
vaccine development, researchers
at the Duke Human Vaccine
Institute have successfully induced
broadly neutralizing antibodies
(bnAbs) against HIV through
vaccination for the first time.
Broadly neutralizing antibodies
(bnAbs) are antibodies that can
recognize and neutralize many
strains of HIV. They have been seen
as a potential key to an HIV vaccine
but are difficult to produce in
humans.
The investigational vaccine
candidate targets the membrane-
proximal outer region (MPER) on
the outer envelope of HIV, a stable
region that remains consistent
even when the virus mutates,
according to the findings published
in the journal Cell.
In a Phase 1 clinical trial, 20
healthy, HIV-negative individuals
received two or three doses of the
experimental vaccine developed by
Haynes and Dr. S. Munir Alam.
Remarkably, after only two
vaccinations, the vaccine triggered
a 95% serum response rate and
100% blood CD4+ T-cell response
rate, indicating strong immune
activation.
Most importantly, broadly
neutralizing antibodies were
induced within a few weeks of the
initial dose – a process that
typically takes years after natural
HIV infection.
