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HIV vaccine discovery has been stymied by an inability to produce antibodies that neutralize most strains of this rapidly mutating retrovirus. Until recently, no known antibodies neutralized more than 40% of HIV strains. Yet, a conserved spot (the same in all strains of HIV) exists on the antigenic spike of the virus, which attaches to the host cell's CD4 receptor. A U.S. team wondered whether antibodies can be produced that recognize that spot.
The team created a synthetic molecule that is shaped like the conserved part of the virus's spike and then screened patients with HIV infection for antibodies that recognized the synthetic molecule. By screening 25 million B cells, the researchers found 12 cells that produced antibodies to the molecu…