Discovery of HIV’s weak spot boosts vaccine quest

The quest for a vaccine for HIV has been going on for years, and the recent discovery of a “weak spot” has once again taken the discussion about the possibility of finding a vaccine to the forefront of discussion again. New Scientist has more of the details. A small part of the recommended article:

“The identity of this epitope is a major advance and will lead many groups to explore ways to produce new vaccines,” says Dan Barouch of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and leader of a recent study exploring why one of the leading vaccine candidates was a failure. “It shows exactly the site on HIV that broadly neutralising antibodies can target.”

Koff says follow-up studies are now under way at IAVI’s Neutralizing Antibody Center at Scripps – due to open officially on 24 September – to screen for more broadly neutralising antibodies, hopefully revealing yet more sites on the viral anatomy that are indispensable.

“The expectation is that we’ll find more,” he says. “We hope there will be a number of sites that are vulnerable, and we’ll know that in a few months’ time.”

It is impossible to predict when the first vaccines targeting “weak spots” might go into trials. But Koff says: “We’re cautiously optimistic we’re now turning in the right direction.”