Two-part vaccine strategy generates a stronger, longer-lasting immune boost against HIV Scripps Research scientists' new approach combines two immune-activating molecules known as adjuvants.
June 18, 2025
LA JOLLA, CA In the quest to develop an effective HIV vaccine, scientists from Scripps Research have made a significant leap forward. They found that a two-part delivery strategy can train the immune system to produce a stronger response to HIV, offering new hope in the fight against one of the world's most elusive viruses.
The approach, described in Science Translational Medicine on June 18, 2025, used a mouse model to test two types of adjuvants: immune-boosting molecules that improve vaccine response. One of the adjuvants helped the HIV protein persist longer in the body, and another amplified immune activation. When combined, the adjuvants led to stronger and more potent antibody responses than either one alone.
Using a dual-adjuvant strategy pulls together the best of both worlds, says senior author Darrell Irvine, a professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research.
Vaccines work by teaching the body to recognize dangerous viruses and bacteria, but HIV has proven to be a particularly challenging target because it mutates rapidly and hides from immune defenses. To explore how to tackle this issue, the research team used an experimental HIV protein called MD39 a type of antigen, or molecule that triggers an immune reaction.
MD39 was designed in a lab to resemble the virus's outer envelope. It's structured to guide the immune system toward generating broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs): rare immune proteins that can recognize and block a wide range of HIV variants.
The antigen was paired with three different adjuvant strategies to test which elicited the strongest immune response. One approach used a formulation where MD39 was tagged with phosphoserine (pSer), allowing the protein to anchor to particles of aluminum hydroxide (alum) a widely used adjuvant that enhances immune activity. This formulation enables slow release, prolonging the protein's presence in the body and giving immune cells more time to recognize and react to it.
A second strategy employed saponin/MPLA nanoparticles (SMNP). This adjuvant contains saponins, natural compounds found in plants that stimulate the immune system. To ramp up the immune response, SMNP delivers vaccine components to key immune sites, such as lymph node follicles regions where immune training happens. These follicles are rich in B cells: white blood cells that, when mature, can produce high-quality antibodies like bnAbs.
The third and final method which incorporated both alum-pSer and SMNP yielded the best outcomes.
The idea to combine the adjuvants actually came from studying them separately, notes Irvine. The classic adjuvant alum is well known, very safe, but not as potent an adjuvant, whereas SMNP really drives robust activation of the immune system, so it seemed reasonable to explore whether putting the two together would be much more effective.
Results of the dual-adjuvant strategy were striking: B cells multiplied, matured more quickly and became increasingly diverse a critical factor for generating antibodies that can fight multiple variants of HIV. Notably, MD39 remained detectable in lymph nodes for up to four weeks, allowing the protein to accumulate in follicles.
The intact antigen buildup contributed to the significant effects we observed, says co first author Yiming Jason Zhang, a postdoctoral scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Irvine previously led his lab. This suggests other techniques that achieve this kind of follicular buildup could also result in a strong immune response.
The researchers compared their results to previous data from non-human primates that had received the same protein and adjuvants. Encouragingly, the combination approach led to similarly strong and diverse immune responses.
While the full, two-part vaccine strategy hasn't been tested yet in humans, the SMNP adjuvant is currently under evaluation in a first-in-human clinical trial (HVTN 144).
Its safety profile will probably be comparable to Shingrix, which is a shingles vaccine that has a very potent adjuvant like SMNP, says Irvine. You might get some pain in your arm or flu-like symptoms for a day or so, but nothing much worse than that.
In addition to Irvine and Zhang, authors of the study, Vaccines combining slow release and follicle targeting of antigens increase germinal center B cell diversity and clonal expansion, are Kristen A. Rodrigues, Aereas Aung, Anna Romanov, Laura Maiorino, Parisa Yousefpour, Grace Gibson, Gabriel Ozorowski, Justin R. Gregory, Parastoo Amlashi, Maureen Buckley, Andrew B. Ward and William R. Schief of Scripps Research; and Jonathan Lam, Duncan M. Morgan, Richard Van and J. Christopher Love of MIT.
This work was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (grants P30-CA14051 (Koch Institute Core grant), UM1AI144462, AI161818, AI161297, AI125068 and P01AI048240); the National Institutes of Health Fellowship F32 AI164829; the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard; MIT; Harvard; and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Autoimmune Diseases Irvine, Darrell
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
16/10/2025
Parks Associates has released new data showing that nearly half (45%) of U.S. internet homes watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and 89% of U.S...
16/10/2025
TROY, Mich. -New data from J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Study shows that residential wireless internet providers are growing...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
Two-part vaccine strategy generates a stronger, longer-lasting immune boost against HIV Scripps Research scientists' new approach combines two immune-activating molecules known as adjuvants.
