Discovered two antibodies that block 90% of HIV strains

A team of scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. discovers two antibodies to cancel 90% of known HIV strains. It is a very important step for achieving an effective preventive vaccine.
NUEVATRIBUNA.ES / SANTO ANTONIO

The journal Science published a study by scientists Peter D. Kwong, John R. Mascola, Gary J. Nabel, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, United States (English NAID), which describes the discovery of two antibodies capable of facing the 90% of strains of HIV-1 virus, which causes AIDS. This is the greatest potential for combating the virus has been discovered to date.

When HIV enters the human body, it reacts just like with any other infectious invasion: creating antibodies, a type of protein that dissolves blood particles designed to block external aggression. The difference from other viruses is that HIV is able to attach to immune cells and destroy them to defeat this attack to the point of destroying the immune system, so that the body no longer produces more antibodies and is not able to defend any disease. As is known, in the later stages of the disease a simple cold can kill the patient.

In 2007 he discovered the mechanism by which HIV enters immune cells in what is the first step in the infection process, since then scientists have endeavored to find a way to block this binding. The problem is that HIV is constantly changing the layout of its surface proteins to the immune system does not recognize and can not create a stable defense against the virus, this makes the process of finding a way to block it. It's like chasing a bank robber can change the face every time he goes into a branch.

In addition there are many subtypes of the virus, which until now had been impossible to find a cure for all of them. But intensive research worldwide found an area of the virus, CD4, which remains unchanged among all subtypes: that's exactly where you caught the molecule that blocks the virus.

The idea to stop the virus, apparently, is simple (although obviously this point has taken years and years of research) to study the exact point of the antibody in which the virus attaches and create a molecule that mimics and comes together in this place of union. The study's authors injected these molecules in the blood of an HIV positive and found and two antibodies, and VRC02 VRC01 to neutralize 91% all known strains of the virus (so far only been found molecules that blocked 40% 75%).

"The discovery of these antibodies with exceptionally broad HIV neutralizing power and structural analysis that explains how they work are exciting developments that could accelerate our efforts to find an HIV preventive vaccine for global use," said the director of NAID, Anthony S. Fauci. "Besides, he added," the technique that this team of researchers has used to find these new antibodies represent a new strategy that could be applied to the design of vaccines for many infectious diseases. " Thanks to this discovery, we are one step closer to finding a preventive vaccine overall efficiency to convert the AIDS virus in a bad memory.

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