TSRI, IAVI researchers harness antibody evolution on path to AIDS vaccine

A series of new studies led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) describe a potential vaccination strategy to jump-start the selection and evolution of broadly effective antibodies to prevent HIV infection. The researchers plan to test this strategy in an upcoming human clinical trial. The new studies, published September 8, 2016, in the journals Cell and Science, showed the immune system can be prompted to mimic and accelerate a rare natural process during which antibodies slowly evolve to become better and better at targeting the constantly mutating HIV virus. “Although we still have a long way to go, we’re making really good progress toward a human vaccine,” said William Schief, professor at TSRI and director of vaccine design for IAVI’s Neutralizing Antibody Center (NAC) at TSRI, whose lab developed many of the vaccine proteins tested in these studies. Schief co-led several of the new...