Reverse vaccinology

New vaccine activates the production of antibodies to HIV

Nikita Shevtsov, Naked Science

Researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new vaccine consisting of DNA and recombinant proteins that helps fight HIV.

To develop a vaccine, the researchers first identified a part of the virus that can interact with antibodies. This interaction induces a cascade of reactions that eventually lead to the death of the virus and the cells infected with it. Then scientists developed a vaccine that activated the work of antibodies of this type. This approach to vaccine development is called "reverse vaccinology".

The active substance of the vaccine interacts with one of the parts of the gp120 protein, which is contained in the HIV envelope. The new formula contains gp120 protein DNA and three recombinant proteins. They cause changes in the immune system, causing it to produce antibodies against gp120. Therefore, when the body is subsequently infected with a virus, the immune system uses new antibodies to eliminate it by destroying the shell.

The new vaccine is safe because it does not contain dangerous substances and the virus in active form, that is, it does not allow you to get infected with HIV. In a published study, scientists showed that this vaccination induces the necessary antibodies in monkeys. This means that similar protective antibodies can be induced in humans and can play an important role in preventing HIV infection.

It is important to show that the vaccine induces antibodies in monkeys, since the human body is likely to react similarly. These experiments on primates allow the vaccine to move to a new stage — human trials. According to scientists, the new formula is safe, well tolerated and causes an immune response.

Article by Hessell et al. Multimeric Epitope-Scaffold HIV Vaccines Target V1V2 and Differently Tune Polyfunctional Antibody Responses is published in the journal Cell Reports.

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