Antibody administration suppresses HIV virus in HIV-infected mice

Suppression of the HIV virus might be achieved with a new method using a combination of three antibodies. This conclusion was reported by a group of researchers at Rockefeller University.

The research was conducted at the laboratory of Michel C. Nussenzweig, who is a Zanvil A. Cohn and Ralph M. Steinman professor at The Rockefeller University and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology. The results were published in Science Translational Medicine.

According to the study the administration of three antibodies — BG18, NC37, and BG1 — to HIV-infected mice completely suppressed the virus. This new method of treatment helps to stop the virus from escaping the immune system of the patient by blocking type 1 interferon. The study demonstrated the role of type 1 interferon in destroying the body’s immunity during HIV infection.

“Some people with HIV produce these antibodies, but most of the time the virus eventually escapes them through mutations in the antibody’s corresponding epitope. What we’ve shown in this study is that after several rounds of escape from these particular antibodies, the virus seems to run out of options,” said Natalia Freund first author of the study.