AIDS vaccine and bNAbs

Research on an AIDS vaccine has been ongoing for years. Very few positive results have been achieved. More recently the focus has been on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). Broadly neutralizing antibodies show up naturally in a person infected with HIV only later in the infection. These antibodies have been shown to be effective in neutralizing the HIV virus but only if they appear early in HIV infection.

The idea now is to try to develop a vaccine which elicits bNAbs.

In your investigation of this problem, determine why the vaccines developed in the past have largely been ineffective in prevening AIDS.

Also, answer the following questions.

Why are bNAbs effective?

Why are they more effective in early infection?

Why are they produced later in HIV infection?

Do you think an effective AIDS vaccine will be developed?

Could bNAbs be isolated and purified and used in a passive vaccine?

due DEC 15

Origin of allergens

We have discussed in lecture that the detection receptors of the immune system detect only few antigens which are mostly surface  or internal proteins on and within microbes.  However humans express immune system effector function against pollen a non-microbe structure.  Explore why we react with allergens.


Also why are we so reactive with allergens?  Do you think this was part of the original creation?


DUE DEC 1