HIV-1 immunogen design
HIV-1, the causative agent of AIDS has on its surface a protein called envelope (env). Env is a trimeric glycoprotein in which each monomer consists of two non-covalently associated subunits gp120 and gp41. This protein binds to a receptor molecule called CD4 that is found on cells in the immune system. Env is responsible for the entry of virus into these cells. Conventional approaches of using inactivated or weakened virus as a vaccine cannot be used for HIV because humans do not naturally develop immunity to the virus.
Our laboratory has used a number of approaches to designed immunogens to elicit broadly protective antibodies against HIV-1. In recent collaborative work with the Amara lab at Emory, our immunogens, in combination with a viral vector prime, were shown to protect rhesus macaques against pathogenic viral challenge. Finding immunogens capable of generating neutralizing antibodies is a particularly difficult and challenging problem which must be overcome if an HIV vaccine is to become a reality.