A recent study that sought to characterize the structure and genetic features of HIV-1 antibodies from vaccinated rhesus macaques isolated four identical neutralizing antibody (nAb) lineages across multiple animals.
Results of the study, conducted by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research scientists in collaboration with Duke Human Vaccine Institute researchers and others, indicate that the diverse immune systems of primates can respond to HIV vaccination by producing nAbs with nearly identical structures and genetic makeups. These findings may inform human HIV vaccine design strategies. Findings were published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
A primary goal of HIV-1 vaccine development is to consistently elicit protective, neutralizing antibodies. While similar nAbs have been isolated from multiple individuals living with HIV, it is unclear whether vaccination can consistently elicit highly similar nAbs. The new study demonstrates proof-of-concept that HIV-1 envelope vaccination can reproducibly elicit nAbs with nearly identical binding modes to the HIV-1 envelope.
Read the publication here: https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1009624
3D reconstruction of vaccine-induced antibodies binding to HIV-1 with similar angles of approach.