By investigative blood samples donated by contaminated people in developing countries, US researchers have found two new powerful antibodies to HIV that open the door to a new and effectual AIDS vaccine. The antibodies, called PG9 and PG16, are of a type known as bNAbs (broadly neutralizing antibodies) and exploit an "Achilles heel" or weak spot in the HIV that could be an effective target for a vaccine, said the researchers.
The discovery was made by researchers working at and with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), at The Scripps Research Institute, and at the biotechnology companies Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences, and was published on 3 September as an online advanced subject in Science.
The discovery was made by researchers working at and with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), at The Scripps Research Institute, and at the biotechnology companies Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences, and was published on 3 September as an online advanced subject in Science.
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