germline-targeting HIV vaccine

A germline-targeting HIV vaccine is a novel vaccine design strategy aimed at guiding the immune system to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV. Traditional HIV vaccines have struggled due to the virus's rapid mutation and ability to shield key epitopes. The germline-targeting approach begins by using a priming immunogen (such as eOD-GT8 60mer or BG505 SOSIP.v4.1-GT1.1) to activate rare, naive precursor B cells (germline B cells) that possess the genetic potential to develop into bnAbs (e.g., VRC01-class or BG18-class antibodies). This is followed by a series of booster immunogens (heterologous boosts) designed to guide the affinity maturation of these B cells step-by-step, eventually leading to the production of mature, potent bnAbs capable of neutralizing diverse HIV strains. This strategy is being developed by various organizations, including Scripps Research, IAVI, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Moderna, using both protein subunit and mRNA-based delivery platforms.

Other names

germline-targeting HIV vaccinesgermline-targeting HIV-1 vaccinegermline-targeting HIV-1 vaccines