![Hblead_0](https://www.hivplusmag.com/media-library/hblead-0.jpg?id=32666437&width=1200&height=1200)
Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Scientists who are trying to understand how to make an HIV vaccine have found the cause of a major roadblock to their work. It turns out that the immune system can indeed produce cells with the potential to manufacture powerful HIV-blocking antibodies; at the same time, though, the immune system works equally hard to make sure these cells are eliminated before they even have a chance to mature. 'Our studies show that a potentially protective neutralizing antibody against a viral disease is under the control of immunological tolerance,' says Barton Haynes, MD, director of the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology at Duke University Medical Center. Haynes is the senior author of the study, which appeared online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 'This represents a new insight into the way HIV effectively evades detection by the B-cell arm of the immune system and may offer new directions for vaccine design.' Over the years scientists have assumed that B cells -- one of the first lines of defense against infection -- are simply not able to 'see' HIV. The virus has the ability to hide its most vulnerable parts from immune system surveillance, and researchers generally assumed that helped explain why B cells often took weeks and even months to arise following infection. But several years ago Duke researchers hypothesized that the antibodies required to broadly neutralize HIV may not be produced in the first place because the immune system sees them as a potential threat -- because of their similarity to antibodies that promote autoimmune disease -- and destroys them. To see if this is indeed what happens, Laurent Verkoczy, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Duke and the lead author of the study, and Haynes genetically engineered a mouse that could produce only B cells containing a rare but potent broadly neutralizing human antibody that is able to block HIV infection. They found that the mouse's immune system produced plenty of early stage B cells bearing this human neutralizing antibody on their surface but eliminated most of them before they had a chance to fully evolve into mature B cells capable of secreting the antibody. 'This work may mean that we need to think and act very differently in envisioning how a successful vaccine may work,' Verkoczy says. 'The good news is that while about 85% of the 'right' kind of B cells are eliminated, about 15% survive and wind up in circulating blood but are turned off. One goal in vaccine design may be to figure out how to wake them up so that they can go to work.' Adds Haynes: 'We have now unveiled a major reason why members of this class of neutralizing antibodies are not routinely made. Our own immune systems block their production because they are perceived as potentially harmful -- when in reality they are not. This is a very unusual way the virus has developed to evade the immune system.' Haynes says researchers plan on using the new mouse model to test ways to teach the immune system to enable the production of powerful neutralizing antibodies capable of blocking HIV.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Before AIDS, gay artist Rex drew hot men on the prowl — then he disappeared
April 11 2024 3:15 PM
Diets that mimic fasting reverse aging: study
March 07 2024 5:28 PM
PrEP without a prescription now a reality in California
February 06 2024 8:37 PM
Injectable HIV treatment, prevention: Everything you need to know
March 26 2024 3:28 PM
8 dating tips for gay men from a gay therapist
March 21 2024 2:50 PM
Happy national foreskin day!
April 04 2024 1:45 PM
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
Scarlet fever: exploring our fascination with blood
March 13 2024 1:47 PM
On Anal Sex Day, crack up with The Bottom's Digest
April 18 2024 10:22 AM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM
Yes, HIV-positive people can safely breastfeed
June 26 2024 12:59 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
Court rules to keep PrEP coverage under Obamacare
June 21 2024 5:42 PM
In honor of Juneteenth 2024, meet The Normal Anomaly
June 19 2024 1:39 PM
What is Juneteenth?
June 19 2024 11:30 AM
As Pride party season begins, the CDC urges mpox vaccinations
May 16 2024 6:52 PM
Advocacy in action with AIDSWatch
May 09 2024 12:30 PM
The Talk: Thriving with HIV
May 08 2024 10:45 AM
The Talk: What HIV isn’t
May 07 2024 10:48 AM
The Talk: Finding balance with HIV
May 06 2024 10:51 AM
Justice Dept plans to reschedule marijuana as a lower-risk drug
May 03 2024 2:40 PM
The Talk: Starting your journey with HIV
May 03 2024 2:00 PM
Why is a mother’s mental health so important? A doctor explains
May 01 2024 1:38 PM
Walmart to close all of its health care clinics
April 30 2024 12:30 PM
Vampire facial spa infected several women with HIV
April 29 2024 7:26 PM