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Development of an HIV vaccine has been hampered by the inability to induce antibodies capable of inactivating diverse HIV strains. Some HIV-infected individuals have such antibodies. Recently, two research groups identified key features of these proteins.
Li and colleagues tested 32 HIV-positive serum samples, 2 of which exhibited potent in vitro neutralizing activity against HIV from clades A, B, and C. The antibodies responsible in both sera were directed primarily against a functionally conserved portion of the HIV gp120 CD4-binding site.
Hessell and colleagues studied the human monoclonal antibody b12, which neutralizes a wide variety of HIV strains and also recognizes the CD4-binding site of HIV gp120. They examined two members of a seri…