New generation of antibodies highly effective against HIV

A new generation of antibodies can significantly reduce the number of strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the blood of infected persons, said a new study published in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature.

More than 30 years after the discovery of HIV as the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), an international team of scientists with the participation of the University Hospital of Cologne and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has tested a new generation of antibodies on humans for the first time.

As the study showed, the special feature of this antibody is its ability to effectively neutralize a large number of different HIV viruses.

According to the researchers, HIV infection can be easily treated with a combination of different antiviral drugs today. However, the drugs sometimes cause severe side effects, are expensive, and must be taken for life.

In the study, the antibody was well tolerated and showed even more advantageous pharmacological properties.

"Neutralizing antibodies have a different mechanism of action and different pharmacological properties than existing HIV drugs," said the study's co-author Prof. Florian Klein.

In addition, a significant decrease in viral load in the blood was found in patients who were treated with the highest dose level (30 mg per kg of body weight).

"Thus, the antibodies showed comparably potent as the drugs that we currently use in therapy," said Cologne epidemiologist Prof. Gerd Faetkenheuer at DZIF.

An effect of the therapy could be only observed for up to 28 days after administration of the antibody, the study revealed.

The team's current plan is to do clinical trials wherein the efficacy of neutralizing antibodies in relation to the cure of HIV will be investigated. Endit