Tandem bispecific broadly neutralizing antibody — a novel approach to HIV-1 treatment
Guido Ferrari
Guido Ferrari
Published April 23, 2018
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2018;128(6):2189-2191. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI121078.
View: Text | PDF
Commentary

Tandem bispecific broadly neutralizing antibody — a novel approach to HIV-1 treatment

Abstract

The last decade has led to a significant advance in our knowledge of HIV-1 latency and immunity. However, we are still not close to finding a cure for HIV-1. Although combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has led to increased survival, almost close to that of the general population, it is still not curative. In the current issue of the JCI, Wu et al. studied the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of an engineered tandem bispecific broadly neutralizing antibody (bs-bnAb), BiIA-SG. This bnAb’s breadth and potency were highly effective in protection and treatment settings, as measured by complete viremia control following direct infusion, as well as elimination of infected cells and delay in viral rebound when delivered with a recombinant vector. These observations underscore the need for the clinical development of BiIA-SG for the prevention of HIV-1.

Authors

Guido Ferrari

×

Figure 1

Schematic diagram showing binding of the BiIA-SG antibody.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Schematic diagram showing binding of the BiIA-SG antibody. (A) Engineere...
(A) Engineered tandem bispecific bnAb BiIA-SG antibody with scFv domain(s) for binding to HIV-1 gp160 trimer (green VH/VL chain of PGT128) and to soluble CD4 (orange VH/VL chain of Hu5A8) via 20-mer linkers. Two possible interactions are predicted for the molecule: intraspike cross-linking (B) and interspike cross-linking (C). scFv, single-chain variable fragment; VH, heavy-chain variable region; VL, light-chain variable region.