Potent New Antibody Against HIV Discovered

Potent New Antibody Against HIV Discovered

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US says it has identified a potent antibody that is capable of neutralizing 98% of known strains of HIV.

The antibody, which has been named N6, was isolated in a person who has HIV.

They are excited about the discovery because N6 has shown effectiveness against 16 of 20 strains that had previously showed resistance to similar-class antibodies.

HIV has proved difficult to treat because parts of the virus can rapidly evolve to resist being attacked by the body’s immune system. However, N6 is believed to target a part of the virus that doesn’t tend to evolve or change.

It’s believed the discovery could bring us a little closer to developing a vaccine against HIV.

Commenting on the discovery, NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci said in a statement: “The discovery and characterization of this antibody with exceptional breadth and potency against HIV provides an important new lead for the development of strategies to prevent and treat HIV infection.”

The news follows an announcement earlier this month from researchers in Israel of a new drug that in laboratory tests destroyed 97% of HIV in the blood of HIV positive people.

In October, scientists in the UK revealed promising results of another test drug, with one patient showing no detectable HIV in his blood after being on the new medication for a month. They said they will know in a few months whether the result was truly caused by their new developmental medication.

In many countries, gay and bisexual men continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. On the eve of National HIV Testing Week, the Terrence Higgins Trust in the UK revealed that 50,000 gay and bisexual men in the UK are now living with the virus, with one and seven being unaware of their condition.

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12 Comments

  1. FOOFOO
    November 20, 07:22 Reply

    A cure should be out before the end of 2017. Mark this, but no one is talking about hepatitis.

    • Enigma
      November 20, 07:45 Reply

      hepatitis at least has a vaccine

  2. Mandy
    November 20, 07:37 Reply

    HIV has given humanity a really good fight. Still doing so. But victory will be ours soon! Say ‘Amen’???

  3. Tobby
    November 20, 10:14 Reply

    A vaccine would be really really good

  4. Canis VY Majoris
    November 20, 11:37 Reply

    HIV isn’t so deadly anymore, in fact soon it’ll be like catching cold. Hepatitis however, is another scary shit all by itself, and people aren’t talking about it enough. Maybe its the name though, people may think it’s something you contact in IDP camps or on Mars.

  5. Frank_Einstein
    November 20, 11:46 Reply

    I had lost a friend to HIV. I am myself + so I am praying for a quick solution. Amen.

  6. Haiku
    November 22, 00:21 Reply

    Are there LGBT friendly places in a buja? Where someone can get tested for HIV?

    • Simba
      November 22, 07:12 Reply

      Hello Haiku.. Yes dear there are lots of places in Abuja one can have HIV test. U can goggle ICARH, IHVN, SFH, or ask Pinky for my contacts. Am very excited about all the new discoveries concerning HIV, tho in Nigeria we as usual is years backward. In the USA Hepatitis and HIV services are joined services,and both are simply classified as STI, thereby breaking the barrier of multiple testing. U simply walk into the clinic, same clinic and all these tests are done. The results determine the necessary actions PrEP inclusive

      • Haiku
        November 22, 08:07 Reply

        Thank you Simba. Googling away.

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