Researchers at Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) have identified a new type of anti-glycan antibody (Ab) that binds to a patch of the chain-like sugars on the outer shell of HIV, effectively neutralizing the virus. The newly identified antibodies, which the team found in both macaques and humans, could lead to development of a novel vaccine strategy that might potentially be used against SARS-CoV-2 and fungal pathogens.
“This represents a new form of host defense,” said Barton Haynes, MD, director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI). “These new antibodies have a special shape and could be effective against a variety of pathogens. It’s very exciting.”
Newly identified antibody can be targeted by HIV vaccines: Study ANI | Updated: May 20, 2021 22:39 IST
Washington [US], May 20 (ANI): A newly-identified group of antibodies that binds to a coating of sugars on the outer shell of HIV is effective in neutralizing the virus and points to a novel vaccine approach that could also potentially be used against SARS-CoV-2 and fungal pathogens, researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute report.
In a study published in the journal Cell, the researchers describe an immune cell found in both monkeys and humans that produces a unique type of anti-glycan antibody. This newly described antibody has the ability to attach to the outer layer of HIV at a patch of glycans the chain-like structures of sugars that are on the surfaces of cells, including the outer shells of viruses.
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DURHAM, N.C. - A newly identified group of antibodies that binds to a coating of sugars on the outer shell of HIV is effective in neutralizing the virus and points to a novel vaccine approach that could also potentially be used against SARS-CoV-2 and fungal pathogens, researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute report.
In a study appearing online May 20 in the journal
Cell, the researchers describe an immune cell found in both monkeys and humans that produces a unique type of anti-glycan antibody. This newly described antibody has the ability to attach to the outer layer of HIV at a patch of glycans the chain-like structures of sugars that are on the surfaces of cells, including the outer shells of viruses.