Antibodies Protecting Against HIV-1 Infection
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Posted on Jul 24, 2018, 8 p.m.
A possible new defense against HIV-1 has been discovered by researchers from Texas Biomedical Research using an antibody called Immunoglobulin M for the first time in animal models to show effectiveness in preventing infection after mucosal AIDS virus exposure, as published in the journal AIDS.
Scientists first treated rhesus monkey model with a human made version of IgM naturally produced by plasma cells located under the epithelium, then a half hour later the same animals were exposed to SHIV and it was found that 4 out of the 6 animals treated this way were fully protected against the virus, which were monitored for 82 days.
Scientists found applying IgM antibodies resulted in immune exclusion, as IgM clumped up the virus thus preventing crossing of mucosal barriers and spreading throughout the body, which is estimated how worldwide 90% of new new cased are caused.. This technique is known as passive immunization.
According to the scientists the study for the first time shows the protective potential of mucosal anti-HIV-1 IgM, which has 5 times higher ability to bind to virus particles than the standard IgG, and findings open up new paths to research.
Materials provided by Texas Biomedical Research Institute.
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Journal Reference:
Siqi Gong, Khamis Tomusange, Viraj Kulkarni, Opeyemi S. Adeniji, Samir K. Lakhashe, Dinesh Hariraju, Amanda Strickland, Elizabeth Plake, Patrice A. Frost, Sarah J. Ratcliffe, Liping Wang, Eileen M. Lafer, Ruth M. Ruprecht. Anti-HIV IgM protects against mucosal SHIV transmission. AIDS, 2018; 32 (11): F5 DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001857
