Work

Antibody gene transfer with adeno‐associated viral vectors as a method for HIV prevention

Year: 2017

Type: review

Abstract: Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) show great promise in HIV prevention as they are capable of potently neutralizing a considerable breadth of genetically diverse strains. Passive transfer of monoclonal bNAb proteins can confer protection in animal models of HIV infection at modest concentrations, inspiring efforts to develop an HIV vaccine capable of eliciting bNAb responses. However, these antibodies demonstrate high degrees of somatic mutation and other unique characteristics that may hinder the ability of conventional approaches to consistently and effectively produce bNAb analogs. As an alternative strategy, we and others have proposed vector-mediated gene transfer to generate long-term, systemic production of bNAbs in the absence of immunization. Herein, we review the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for delivery of HIV bNAbs and antibody-like proteins and summarize both the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy as a method for HIV prevention.

Source: Immunological Reviews

DOI: 10.1111/imr.12478

Authors: Jacqueline M. Brady, David Baltimore, Alejandro B. Balazs

Institutions: Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Virus-based gene therapy research

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Charles H. Hood Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases