The above illustration depicts antibody VRCO1 (blue and green) binding to HIV (gray and red).
A discovery of three antibodies that neutralize 91% of HIV strains has the potential to lead to a vaccine, according to an article published inSciencemagazine.
The antibodies were culled from the body of a 60-year-old gay African-American man, referred to as Donor 45, who has been HIV-positive for the last 20 years. According to the The Wall Street Journal, the research team designed a specially crafted probe to exactly emulate the molecular site where the HIV-neutralizing antibodies attack.
Gary Nabel, director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and leader of the research team, stressed that applications using the antibodies must be designed to overcome the virus's constant mutations.
Possible uses for the antibodies include a raw-form drug, a microbicide gel to be applied before sexual intercourse, and a stimulant that would cause the immune system to produce the antibodies before infection. There is also the possibility of boosting the effectiveness of existing anti-HIV medications.
Experiments are in progress, but as Nabel asserts, "We're going to be at this for a while."
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