HIV tagged posts

One shot: As part of the clinical trial, researchers gave participants a single dose of 3BNC117, a so-called broadly neutralizing antibody capable of fighting a wide range of HIV strains.

The development of antiretroviral therapy, a combination of drugs that slows the replication of HIV in the body, has transformed the treatment of this infection. but there are side effects, including kidney problems, decreased bone density, and gastrointestinal problems. And if a person discontinues his or her treatment, even missing a few doses, the level of the virus in the body is able to rebound quickly. So researchers are developing a new kind of treatment, an antibody-based drug that may provide a better strategy for long-term control of HIV.

Recent findings from a Phase 1 clinical trial offer new i...

Broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein are being evaluated as therapeutics to prevent or treat HIV-1 infection. Structural analysis of one such antibody, 8ANC195, revealed a new conformation of the envelope protein. The image shows the X-ray crystal structure of 8ANC195 in complex with the gp120 subunit of the envelope protein. The background shows schematic representations of HIV-1 virus particles studded with envelope proteins being recognized by 8ANC195 antibodies. Credit: Louise Scharf/Caltech

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are thought to be the future for treating and preventing HIV infections. A bNAb recently characterized by researchers can neutralize the virus in several different states – increasing the antibody’s promise as a therapeutic.

bNAbs ha...

CXCR4 is a receptor broadly expressed in cells of immune and the central nervous systems and can mediate migration of resting leukocytes and haematopoietic progenitors. It is also used by strains of HIV1 to gain entry into Helper T cells, and are typically detected at the later stages, associated with a rapid decline in CD4+ T cells and progression to AIDS.

They disabled a T-cell surface protein CXCR4, exploited by HIV when the virus infects T cells and causes AIDS. The group also successfully shut down PD-1, a protein that has attracted intense interest in the burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy, as scientists have shown that using drugs to block PD-1 coaxes T cells to attack tumors.

T cells not only stand at the center of many disease processes, but could be easily gathered from pat...