Scientists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Y. R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRGCARE), Chennai, National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar, and International AIDS Vaccine initiative (IAVI), have identified a new antibody against HIV subtype-C from Indian patients.
This finding will help design vaccines against HIV in the future. When given along with retroviral drugs, such a vaccine will be able to reduce viral load in patients. This will also help in passive immunotherapy – killing low amounts of virus in patients who may have been accidently infected with the virus. The antibody identified by Indian scientists has been named C11 since it is specific to subtype-C of HIV virus. Blood samples were taken from a set of patients visiting AIIMS and YRGCARE, for treatment.
These samples were used to make a library of all virus-specific DNA sequences in the patient body. Some of these DNA sequences were the used to make proteins that could bind to HIV virus. These proteins were small antibody fragments that could bind to HIV virus with high efficiency. It was found that smaller fragments of antibodies could bind to HIV proteins more effectively than full antibodies because they could reach to deeper areas in the cells for binding. These proteins can also be used for targeted drug delivery to HIV infected cells in the future.
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Scientists step closer to new HIV vaccine
VATIS UPDATE Part
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