Scientists designed a DNA scaffold that carries HIV vaccine proteins into the body and sharpens the immune response against the virus.
Scripps Research press release
One of the biggest hurdles in developing an HIV vaccine is coaxing the body to produce the right kind of immune cells and antibodies. In most vaccines, HIV proteins are attached to a larger protein scaffolding that mimics a virus. Then, a person’s immune system produces a range of antibodies that recognize different bits of those proteins. Often, however, some of those antibodies react not to HIV itself — but to the scaffold used to deliver the vaccine.
Now, researchers have developed a new kind of vaccine scaffolding made from DNA that the immune system ignores, eliminating these off-target antibodies. In a new study, the team showed that vaccines made with these DNA-based scaffolds led to 10 times more immune cells targeting a vulnerable site on HIV when compared to vaccines with protein-based scaffolds. That suggests a stronger and more targeted immune response to the DNA-based vaccines.
Read the full press release here.
Source : Scripps Research
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