AIDS: passive primate protection

Article Abstract:

In the August 1, 1991 issue of the scientific journal Nature, two different reports present new findings concerning the ability to achieve protective vaccination against the AIDS virus (HIV; human immunodeficiency virus). In both cases, immunological protection was achieved in laboratory animals. The findings are encouraging about the ultimate possibility of developing a vaccine that can protect people against AIDS. However, several important questions should be raised. In one of the scientific papers, protection was achieved using a hybrid molecule that was part antibody and part CD4, the molecule seized upon by HIV to enter some human cells. This hybrid molecule is enormously expensive, and even if it proves to be effective, there are serious questions about whether it could be made available to the millions of people who would benefit. In the other scientific paper, antibodies from some monkeys were injected into others. The recipient animals were then injected with type 2 HIV or with SIV, the simian immunodeficiency virus and a close relative of HIV. The recipient animals were protected by the antibodies they had passively received. This demonstrates that antibodies alone can provide protection; it does not, however, demonstrate that the antibodies actually neutralized the virus or determine whether other immune mechanisms could then destroy the antibody-covered virus particles. Both studies illustrate that progress is being made in the development of an AIDS vaccine. However, they also illustrate that it is time to begin conducting research with strains of virus that more closely resemble those causing human disease. When HIV, or any virus, is grown in laboratory cultures, it evolves very rapidly to become more suited to its new environment. At the same time it is becomes less suitable for infection of a living organism. Therefore, the viruses growing in the laboratory may be infectious weaklings compared with the viruses in the outside world replicating in human bodies. It is time for researchers to take up the challenge of conducting their experiments with viruses that more faithfully represent the typical viruses causing infectious disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

editorial

---

Prevention of HIV-2 and SIVsm infection by passive immunization in cynomolgus monkeys

Article Abstract:

Research continues on the development of new drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS. (HIV is the AIDS virus.) However, many researchers believe that the most promising long-term solution to the AIDS epidemic will be the development of an AIDS vaccine. This has not proved easy, however. It is already clear that HIV infection in humans progresses to AIDS despite the development of antibodies against the virus by the infected host. More must be learned about which features of the virus can be exploited to produce a vaccine that will be effective. As a part of this research, it has now been shown that passive immunization of monkeys can protect against SIV, the simian immunodeficiency virus and a close relative of HIV. Furthermore, passive immunization can protect monkeys against HIV-2, the type 2 human immunodeficiency virus. In active immunization, the infectious organism or perhaps a component protein of it is injected into the subject, which then makes antibodies with its own immune system. In passive immunization, the antibodies are obtained from another animal (or human) which is already immune. These antibodies are then injected into an animal which is naive, that is, has not received exposure to the virus. In this study, the injected antibodies were able to protect the experimental animals from infection when these animals were challenged with a dose of infectious virus. It should be clear, however, that the protection afforded by passive immunization is only temporary, since the immune system of the recipient is not manufacturing protective antibodies. These experiments demonstrate that antibodies are sufficient to protect monkeys against infection with SIV and HIV-2, and indicate that it may be possible to identify features of the virus that are important for immune protection. However, it is already clear that antibodies from the blood of humans infected with HIV are not sufficient to protect laboratory chimpanzees from infection with the AIDS virus. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Models

---

Back to primary school

Article Abstract:

A study conducted on the interactions between monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the oligomers of the HIV-1 envelope show that monomeric glycoprotein (gp) 120 vaccines are unable to form neutralizing antibodies against the HIV-1 virus. The amount of virus neutralization cannot be predicted by the interactions of mAbs with monomeric gp120. The mAbs prefer to bind to the oligomers in the envelop of viruses whose glycoproteins have been altered by passage through T-cell lines rather than with those of primary viruses. Antibodies such as F105 also decrease the neutralization effect.

HIV (Viruses), HIV, Virus inactivation

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: A comprehensive genetic map of the mouse genome. Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations
• Abstracts: Toward a pro-life politics. Global habitat protection: Limitations of development interventions and a role for conservation performance payments
• Abstracts: Conformational variations in an infectious protein determine prion strain differences. Conformational diversity in a yeast prion dictates its seeding specificity
• Abstracts: Adopting adoption. Role of begging and sibling competition in foraging strategies of nestlings. The evolution of female sexuality
• Abstracts: Motion direction, speed and orientation in binocular matching. Object-based attention determines dominance in binocular rivalry

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.