In Pursuit of AIDS Vaccine, TSRI Scientists Shed Light on Antibody Origins LA JOLLA, CA December 15, 2015 From Peter Parker's fateful spider bite to Arthur pulling the sword from the stone at the beginning of his reign everyone likes to know a hero's origin story.
In this case, our heroes are potent antibodies from the body's immune system that bind to and neutralize HIV and the story could lead to a vaccine against AIDS.
In a new study, a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) tracked how a family of these HIV-fighting antibodies develops over time. The research shows how a future vaccine might trigger the immune system to produce these antibodies more effectively.
If you could produce these antibodies through vaccination, that would be a really fantastic start to preventing HIV, said Ian Wilson, Hansen Professor of Structural Biology and chair of the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at TSRI.
The research was published December 15, 2015, in the journal Immunity.
Antibodies in Training
At boot camp, it takes time for soldiers to hone their response against a specific threat. Similarly, it takes time for immune system cells to identify a particular virus's weak points and enlist antibodies that mutate, tweaking their structures to better bind to and neutralize the virus.
In the case of one family of HIV-targeting antibodies known as PGT121, it takes around two years for antibodies to mature enough to fight HIV. While this delay is too long to be effective in preventing infection, the existence of these antibodies inspired scientists to try to find ways to harness their power in a vaccine.
In the new study, scientists looked at the early stages of development in the PGT121 family, specifically in the PGT122 and PGT124 branches. These antibodies caught scientists' attention because they are broadly neutralizing, meaning they can stop many strains of the rapidly mutating virus. They also have the special ability to target a piece of viral machinery called the HIV Envelope glycoprotein, which enables the virus to bind to and penetrate host cells.
Using high-resolution imaging techniques, the researchers mapped out the structures of these antibodies, bound with the HIV Envelope glycoprotein, at select points in their boot-camp training. They found that different branches of antibodies developed different strategies to get around HIV's defenses.
The Anti-HIV Arms Race
The antibodies' main obstacle is HIV's glycan shield, a layer of sugars that sits on the HIV Envelope glycoprotein, protecting it from the body's antibody attacks.
The virus is always trying to escape the immune system, and the immune system via antibodies tries to go after it, said Fernando Garces, research associate at TSRI and first author of the new study. What makes PGT121 family of antibodies so special, he added, is that it has found ways to counter-attack the virus while many other families of antibodies fail to do so.
The images in the new study showed that the PGT121 family of antibodies starts its attack by grabbing onto one of the glycans, (called the N332 glycan) as well as a short segment of the HIV Envelope glycoprotein (called the GDIR motif), turning them into binding partners.
From there, the researchers observed that antibodies within this family developed slightly different strategies. While antibodies from the PGT122 branch mutate to engage other surrounding glycans (the N137 glycan), the PGT124 branch appears to do the same, but then circumvents other elements of the glycan shield (again, the N137 glycan) by rotating and tilting to target the HIV Envelope glycoprotein beneath.
Working Toward a Rapid Response
Interestingly, if researchers remove the N137 glycan from HIV, the antibodies immediately behave as well-trained antibodies and don't require a two-year boot camp.
That suggests possible strategies for how one might elicit those antibodies through vaccination, said Wilson.
If scientists can design a molecule that lacks this N137 glycan, they may be able to prompt a faster antibody response. Once the antibody response has been kick-started, they could add this glycan back and try to mature the antibody against the more native form of the virus.
The new study also showed a much-improved 3D image of the HIV Envelope protein. This detailed map of the final pieces of HIV's trimer structure will help researchers design HIV vaccines.
The take-away message is that you've really got to track the evolution of the antibody and the antigen [the target on a virus] in order to understand how the immune response targets HIV, said Wilson.
Wilson added that the study required a team approach. The findings resulted from collaborations with the laboratory of TSRI Professor Dennis R. Burton, who is also scientific director of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Neutralizing Antibody Center and of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery (CHAVI-ID) at TSRI, which produced the antibodies for the study; the laboratory of TSRI Associate Professor Andrew Ward, which performed the electron microscopy imaging that helped reveal how the antibodies bind; and the labs of Rogier Sanders of the University of Amsterdam and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and John P. Moore of Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
In addition to Wilson, Garces, Burton, Ward, Sanders and Moore, authors of the study, Affinity maturation of a potent family of HIV antibodies is primarily focused on accommodating or avoiding glycans, were Jeong Hyun Lee, Natalia de Val, Leopold Kong, Robyn L. Stanfield of TSRI, IAVI and CHAVI-ID; Cristina Puchades and Yuanzi Hua of TSRI; and Alba Torrents de la Pena of the University of Am
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
In Pursuit of AIDS Vaccine, TSRI Scientists Shed Light on Antibody Origins LA JOLLA, CA December 15, 2015 From Peter Parker's fateful spider bite to Arthur pulling the sword from the stone at the beginning of his reign everyone likes to know a hero's origin story.
