Germline-targeting HIV Vaccine Candidate Induced Neutralizing Antibody Precursors

The online journal Science.org recently published the clinical proof of concept for the germline-targeting vaccine design priming strategy that supports the development of boosting regimens to generate VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb) responses against HIV.

And encourage the application of the germline-targeting strategy to other targets in HIV and other pathogens.

bnAbs acquire affinity-enhancing mutations when a bnAb-precursor B cell mutates and matures from the original naïve B cell (“germline”) state. 

Leggat et al. reported on December 2, 2022, the results of a phase 1 clinical trial showing that a germline-targeting priming immunogen was safe and feasible and induced targeted bnAb-precursor responses in 97% of vaccine recipients at substantial frequencies in each individual.

Furthermore, bnAb-precursor responses made favorable gains in mutation and affinity after booster vaccination.

“The clinical trial reported by Leggat et al. provides persuasive human data supporting the concept of germline targeting,” wrote Penny Moore in a related Perspective.

A preventative HIV vaccine is urgently needed to put an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Each year, more than 1 million new HIV infections occur, says the U.S. CDC.

As of December 12, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not approved any HIV vaccine candidate.