Identification of New Broadly Reactive HIV-1–Specific Monoclonal Antibodies

One of the major roadblocks in the development of an HIV-1 vaccine has been the inability of vaccine immunogens to elicit broadly reactive HIV-1 Env–specific neutralizing antibodies. Some investigators have questioned whether the human immune system is even capable of generating such broadly reactive antibodies, given the extent of virus variability worldwide and the immune evasion tactics employed by the virus.

Researchers now describe the isolation and structural analysis of a new broadly reactive HIV-1 Env–specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) called VRC01, which was derived from an HIV-1–infected individual with broadly reactive serum neutralizing antibodies. Prior work from these investigators and others identified the CD4 binding site as …