Antibodies against HIV have been successfully tested on the first volunteers
Virologists have successfully suppressed HIV in humans for the first time with the help of antibodies
An international group of virologists announced the first successful suppression of the immunodeficiency virus in the human body using 3BNC117 monoclonal antibodies, which opens the way for the creation of drugs based on this protein for HIV prevention and AIDS control, according to an article published in the journal Nature (Caskey et al., Viraemia suppressed in HIV-1-infected humans by broadly neutralizing antibody 3BNC117 – VM).
"These antibodies differ in that they neutralize over 80% of all virus strains and are generally very active. Compared with traditional antiretroviral therapy, our antibodies have another plus – they interact with the patient's immune cells, which further helps to neutralize HIV," said Marina Caskey from Rockefeller University in New York (in a press release from Rockefeller University In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection – VM).
Kaski and her colleagues became the first virologists who managed to successfully test on human volunteers a drug based on artificially grown antibodies that neutralize a large number of different "versions" of the HIV virus.
When a microbe or virus enters our body, special immune cells – B-lymphocytes – capture particles of the pathogen. After absorbing them, they select a special protein molecule-an antibody that will attach to the surface of a bacterium or virus and tag them.
Most of these antibodies are able to recognize only one type of bacterium or virus, which makes them extremely ineffective in the fight against HIV and other retroviruses, whose shell structure is constantly changing. It is extremely rare for B cells to create universal antibodies that cling to vital areas on the surface of almost all varieties of viruses and microbes.
In the mid-70s of the last century, biologists learned how to extract such lymphocytes from blood samples of patients and clone them, "gluing" them with cancer cells of the spleen. This technology is actively used today to create drugs that can fight incurable diseases – multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and cancer.
Kaski and her colleagues in the laboratory managed to find in the blood samples of patients such an antibody to HIV, which connects to a key part of the virus – an outgrowth on its shell, which clings to the "tails" on the surface of immune cells and helps the "warhead" of the virus to penetrate them.
This molecule, named 3BNC117, was tested on several volunteers who had recently contracted HIV. A single injection of the antibody into the body of patients reduced the concentration of the virus in their blood by 300 times, and remained at an extremely low level for almost two months, which demonstrated the extremely high effectiveness of the antibody in suppressing HIV.
As the scientists themselves emphasize, this success does not mean that the volunteers were cured of infection – the virus continued to remain in their body, since 3BNC117 does not neutralize all HIV subspecies. Over time, the virus will develop resistance to the antibody, which is why treatment with 3BNC117 alone is not enough - taking the antibody must be combined with classic antiretroviral drugs to maximize its beneficial effect on the body.
On the other hand, 3BNC117 and its future analogues can in principle be used to "teach" the immune system of a healthy person to recognize HIV particles. This may be enough to protect it from infection, scientists conclude.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru09.04.2015