ATLANTA—A multi-institutional team of researchers has announced new findings describing the efficient design of novel virus-like particles (VLPs) to create potential new vaccines to prevent AIDS.
The research is reported online in the Journal of Virology and will be published in the Oct. 2007 print edition. It will be presented at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 meeting in Seattle this week.
The research team includes scientists from Emory University, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Duke University and Novavax, Inc., with funding from the National Institutes of Health,
The authors describe novel ways to enhance the expression and assembly of the HIV-1 envelope protein, which is a principal target for immunity against the AIDS virus, into HIV-1 VLPs.
Particles trigger immune response
These virus-like particles mimic the three-dimensional structure of a virus but do not contain the virus’s genetic material required for replication or infection, thus ensuring safety of the vaccine.
When inoculated into the body, these particles have the ability to trigger strong immune responses that are capable of protecting against viral infection. Emory researchers are developing vaccines to prevent HIV, influenza and other viral diseases based on this technology.
“An important feature of this vaccine’s approach is its focus on inducing antibodies, which are capable of blocking the HIV infection process at its earliest stage,” said Richard Compans, PhD, professor and chair of microbiology and immunology at Emory University School of Medicine. Such antibodies are known to mediate protection against other viral diseases.
Emory has a very active research program in HIV/AIDS vaccines, supported by multiple agencies. The Emory Vaccine Center, established with support from the Georgia Research Alliance, has made development of an AIDS vaccine a high priority, and a critical mass of investigators is working on this goal.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and last year 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Public health officials agree that an effective vaccine will be the best way to halt the AIDS epidemic.
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