Landmark Paper Sparks Decades of AIDS Research

June 13, 2024

Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, accidentally started the search for AIDS at the beginning of 1981. While Dr. Gottlier was teaching immunology, he asked a post-doc to look at a patient who had pneumocystis pneumonia, a rare infection that causes people to lose weight quickly and for no apparent reason. Five more cases like the first one were added to the study, which led to an important article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Before it was called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), this was the first record of what it was.

Uniqueness of HIV

After almost 50 years of study, there is still no vaccine for AIDS. This is mostly because HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, copies itself in a way that is prone to mistakes. This leads to a lot of different types, which makes it harder to make a general vaccine. In comparison, HIV has more different types in a single person than the flu virus does in the whole world in a year.

Role of B-Cells in Immunity

When the immune system comes in contact with viruses, it makes antibodies that are each specifically matched to a different protein piece on the virus. B-cells play a role in this process; they make more antibodies and improve them so that they can best fight viruses. Vaccines work by giving the immune system these antibodies ahead of time so that it can fight off infections when they happen.

Advances in Vaccine Development

Recent methods have focused on “germline targeting,” which aims to increase the number of B-cells that can change into bNAb makers. The creation of nanoparticle-based vaccines, like N332-GT5 and eOD-GT8, is an important step forward. These vaccines have shown promise in early-phase human trials and animal studies. These tests are important first steps toward making an HIV vaccine that might work.

About HIV variants

Types and Prevalence of HIV: HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS, consists of two main types: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the most widespread globally, while HIV-2 is predominantly found in West Africa and is less transmissible.
Genetic Variability and Impact: There is a lot of genetic variation in HIV, which leads to many subtypes and recombinant forms, especially in HIV-1 Group M, which is what causes most cases around the world. Variability like this can make diagnostic tests, medicines, and treatments less effective.
Challenges in Treatment and Disease Management: Changes in HIV can make drugs less effective, which makes treatment more difficult. New studies have also found rare types of HIV that may make the disease progress faster. This shows how hard it is to manage HIV on a global basis.

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