La Jolla免疫学研究所和Scripps研究所的科学家开发了一种采用"萌芽系靶向"策略的HIV疫苗，该策略通过训练B细胞产生大量罕见的"广泛中和"抗体来对抗病毒[1]。在灵长类动物试验中，约44%的恒河猴产生了丰富的HIV广泛中和抗体，创造了灵长类动物中最佳的HIV抗体反应记录[1]。这项由Shane Crotty和William Schief共同主导、历时14年的合作研究成果已发表在《Nature》杂志上[1]。
该疫苗的初免原体已进入人类临床试验阶段，目前正在IAVI G004第一阶段试验中进行评估[1]。这一进展标志着HIV疫苗研发领域取得重大突破，为应对HIV的三大关键难题——病毒被糖分子伪装掩盖、变异速度快以及感染细胞时改变形状——提供了新的解决方案[1]。
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Scripps Research have developed a novel HIV vaccine employing a "germline-targeting" strategy to train B cells to produce rare broadly neutralizing antibodies [1]. In preclinical trials using rhesus macaques, approximately 44% of the animals generated robust HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies, representing the best antibody response ever achieved in primates [1]. This breakthrough culminates 14 years of collaborative research led by Shane Crotty and William Schief [1], with findings published in Nature [1].
The vaccine addresses three major obstacles posed by HIV: its concealment beneath sugar molecules, its rapid mutation rate, and its ability to change shape upon infecting human cells [1]. The immunogen candidate evaluated in the HVTN 144 trial has now advanced to human clinical testing, currently undergoing assessment in the IAVI G004 Phase 1 trial [1].