AIDS: Scientists discovered an antibody that could develop a vaccine

Scientists in the United States confirmed that “they’ve discovered two powerful human antibodies that can prevent the strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from infecting other cells.”

The researchers noted that “the finding may lead to the development of an effective vaccine against AIDS.”

According to scientists “antibodies could also be used as a tool to prevent HIV infection and other infectious diseases.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, said that “The discovery of these antibodies that can neutralize the HIV infected cells is an exciting development that will accelerate efforts to find an HIV preventive vaccine for global use.”

Experts explain that “Antibodies are proteins found in blood that help the immune system to fight the foreign pathogens that enter to our body and causes diseases. For many years several research teams were investigating the potential of these compounds to fight HIV. And this study marks an important step in that understanding. “

NIAID experts “used a new technique to find the two antibodies, called VRC02 VRC01 and prove it on patients with HIV and developed a molecular device capable of addressing the specific cells that produce antibodies against HIV.”

According to scientists, “The “device” is actually an HIV protein that was changed so it could react only with specific antibodies in the place where the virus attaches to the cells to infect them.”

Also found that “the two VRC antibodies can neutralize more than 90% of HIV strains circulating in the world and are much more powerful than antibodies previously known”.

And that “makes them good candidates for a vaccine development.”

They also clarified that “Until now it was very difficult to find antibodies that can neutralize all strains of virus circulating in the world because the virus continually changes its proteins to avoid being recognized by the immune system.”

So the researchers “may be able to identify the few areas of the surface of the virus that remain similar in all variants of the virus and it is a very important development.”

This may accelerate the development of a vaccine that could ‘teach’ the human immune system how to produce similar proteins that prevent HIV infection.

Dr. Gary Nabel, one researcher said “the potential of this finding could even go far beyond a vaccine.”

“We could use own antibodies to provide them to individuals who may be at high risk of infection to see if the compounds themselves have a protective effect.”

“And in some cases the same compounds could even be a form of treatment.”

Scientists remark that “still much more research will be needed and that these results are just the first step of a long investigation.”

Source: Telam