Inducing broad neutralizing antibodies is a prime goal of HIV vaccine development. The CHAVD aims to develop an effective HIV-1 vaccine that can elicit protective antibodies by identifying strategies to induce HIV-1 broad neutralizing antibodies (BnAbs) and protective HIV-1 non-neutralizing antibodies (NNAbs).

Broadly neutralizing antibodies are antibodies capable of neutralizing a wide range of HIV-1 strains to prevent infection. Non-neutralizing antibodies do not neutralize the virus alone but instead bind to virus and Fc receptors to induce Fc-mediated effector mechanisms, such phagocytosis, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement, to prevent infection.

At the end of this grant a final vaccine candidate will be delivered to the NIAID that has reproducibly induced durable levels of either BnAbs or protective NNAbs in rhesus macaques or in a Phase I trial in humans, or in both.