Neutralizing the threat: harnessing broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 for treatment and prevention
Authors:Juan C Becerra1, Lauren Hitchcock1, Khoa Vu1 and Johannes S Gach1
doi: 10.15698/mic2024.07.826
Volume 11, pp. 207 to 220, published 03/07/2024.
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, CA, 92697, Irvine, Irvine, USA.
Keywords:
HIV1, bnAbs, prevention, treatment, viral reservoir.
Corresponding Author(s):
Conflict of interest statement:
The authors declare that no competing interest exists.
Please cite this article as:
Juan C Becerra, Lauren Hitchcock, Khoa Vu, Johannes S Gach (2024). Neutralizing the threat: harnessing broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 for treatment and prevention. Microbial Cell 11: 207-220. doi: 10.15698/mic2024.07.826
© 2024 Becerra et al. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.
Abstract:
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) have played a crucial role in elucidating and characterizing neutralization-sensitive sites on the HIV-1 envelope spike and in informing vaccine development. Continual advancements in identifying more potent bnAbs, along with their capacity to trigger antibody-mediated effector functions, coupled with modifications to extend their half-life, position them as promising candidates for both HIV-1 treatment and prevention. While current pharmacological interventions have made significant progress in managing HIV-1 infection and enhancing quality of life, no definitive cure or vaccines have been developed thus far. Standard treatments involve daily oral anti-retroviral therapy, which, despite its efficacy, can lead to notable long-term side effects. Recent clinical trial data have demonstrated encouraging therapeutic and preventive potential for bnAb therapies in both HIV-1-infected individuals and those without the infection. This review provides an overview of the advancements in HIV- 1-specific bnAbs and discusses the insights gathered from recent clinical trials regarding their application in treating and preventing HIV-1 infection.