Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) director Barton F. Haynes, MD, and other experts from Duke and two other universities detail the successes and challenges in the quest to develop an HIV vaccine in a viewpoint article published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society this month. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jia2.26489
“To date, no immunization regimen has induced the types of neutralization responses required to achieve the degree of breadth and potency needed for consistent protection by a vaccine,” the authors write. But, as they describe, researchers are making progress by using AI to design Env proteins that guide the immune system to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies, which are typically rare in people living with HIV, but can fight many versions of the virus.
Although it's a complex challenge, this progress is also paving the way for better vaccines against other challenging pathogens.
Other Duke authors include Kevin O. Saunders, PhD, and Kevin Wiehe, PhD.