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Blocking and tackling HIV

Nature Medicine volume 15, pages 841–842 (2009)Cite this article

Two studies suggest that low levels of antibodies, when present continuously, effectively limit or prevent HIV infection (pages 951–954 and 901–906). The findings provide hope for the development of a vaccine.

Two studies in this issue of Nature Medicine challenge this notion. The study of Hessell et al.4 indicates that moderate amounts of repeatedly transferred neutralizing antibodies can protect from multiple viral challenges. Johnson et al.5 show that, with a new approach, long-lasting neutralizing antibodies can be produced by gene transfer in vivo—thus providing continuous protection against the virus. In these experimental systems, much lower levels of neutralizing antibodies than previously indicated, when present continuously, seem to be effective in limiting or preventing infection.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of how the balance between the size of the virus inoculum and the amount of neutralizing antibody affects the outcome of SIV and SHIV infection of macaques.

Katie Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nancy L. Haigwood is at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA,

    Nancy L. Haigwood

  2. Vanessa M. Hirsch is at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,

    Vanessa M. Hirsch

Authors
  1. Nancy L. Haigwood
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  2. Vanessa M. Hirsch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy L. Haigwood.

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Haigwood, N., Hirsch, V. Blocking and tackling HIV. Nat Med 15, 841–842 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0809-841

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0809-841

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