Discovery of antibodies that neutralize 98% of HIV strains

The discovery of an antibody that neutralizes 98% of HIV strains opens up new hope for people infected with HIV.

Scientists at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently discovered an antibody that can neutralize 98% of HIV virus strains.

Specifically, this antibody called N6 can maintain the ability to detect HIV viruses even after they have begun to develop; at the same time, it can neutralize up to 16/20 HIV strains that have so far been resistant to all drugs.

We know that HIV is difficult to kill because it attacks immune system cells in the human body and constantly mutates. But with this discovery, experts hope to open up new hope for patients with the disease of the century.

"The discovery and characterization of this antibody provides an important new insight into the development of strategies to prevent and treat HIV infection," said Anthony S. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

To reach this conclusion, the researchers exposed N6 to 181 different strains of HIV. The results showed that it controlled and killed 98% of them, including 16 of the 20 strains that were resistant to drugs.

This is considered a significant step forward since researchers discovered the VRC01 antibody in 2010, which can prevent up to 90% of HIV strains from infecting human cells.

Both antibodies work in a similar way: They both block HIV infection by binding to the CD4 region on the surface of the HIV virus, preventing HIV from attaching to immune cells. The CD4 region remains virtually unchanged across all HIV variants.

However, N6 has better "physical strength" so its ability to resist changes on the HIV surface is higher.

For example, one of the key ways HIV evades the immune system is by collecting and attaching sugars in the body to loosen the grip of antibodies, but N6 is not affected by this change.

Scientists are currently continuing to test N6 in clinical trials to see if it can safely prevent HIV infection in humans.

However, N6 is still believed to have the potential to provide stronger, more durable preventative-treatment benefits.

In addition, N6's ability to neutralize nearly all HIV strains would facilitate both prevention and treatment strategies.

This could very well be the key weapon we need to defeat the HIV virus.

The study was published in Immunity.

According to Young Knowledge