Vaccine focusing to cross-subtype HIV-1 gp120 variable loop epitopes—Cardozo 2014

We created synthetic, epitope-focused immunogens that preferentially display neutralization epitopes targeted by cross-subtype anti-HIV V3 loop neutralizing mAbs. These immunogens induced polyclonal serum Abs with cross-subtype neutralizing specificities in rabbits. Vaccination can induce a predictable spectrum of epitope-specific polyclonal cross-subtype HIV-1 neutralizing Abs in mammals. Elicitation required precise epitope boundaries and conformational flexibility in immunogen presentation. This study may help develop matched immunogens from human broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 monoclonal antibodies (bNAbs) for an HIV-1 vaccine.

Cardozo, T., Wang, S., Jiang, X., Kong, X. P., Hioe, C., & Krachmarov, C. (2014). Vaccine focusing to cross-subtype HIV-1 gp120 variable loop epitopes. Vaccine, 32(39), 4916–4924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.026