PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Animal vaccine study yields insights that may advance HIV vaccine research

2013-12-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Laura S. Leifman
laura.sivitz@nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Animal vaccine study yields insights that may advance HIV vaccine research A vaccine study in monkeys designed to identify measurable signs that the animals were protected from infection by SIV, the monkey version of HIV, as well as the mechanism of such protection has yielded numerous insights that may advance HIV vaccine research. Seven laboratories collaborated on the research led by Mario Roederer, Ph.D., and John R. Mascola, M.D., at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

By examining both viral amino-acid sequences and the animals' immune responses, the scientists could determine the mechanisms of protection from SIV infection. The study demonstrated that antibodies to the virus spikes that SIV uses to infect cells are necessary and sufficient to prevent SIV infection. The study also identified clear measures of immune responses in monkeys that predict protection from SIV infection.

Amid the genetically heterogeneous mix of SIV to which the vaccinated monkeys were exposed, vaccine-induced immune responses tended to block infection by those viruses sensitive to neutralization by SIV antibodies, while neutralization-resistant forms of SIV tended to cause infection. A two-amino-acid change to the spikes on SIV converted neutralization-sensitive SIV to neutralization-resistant SIV, and vice versa. A similar change to the spikes on HIV had a related effect. Thus, SIV and HIV escape the immune system in similar ways, the scientists discovered. They concluded that the reasons why future human HIV vaccine trials fail or succeed will become clearer if scientists integrate information on the amino-acid sequence and neutralization sensitivity or resistance of the infecting virus together with information about volunteers' immune responses to the vaccine.

###

ARTICLE: M Roederer et al. Immunological and virological mechanisms of vaccine-mediated protection against SIV and HIV. Nature DOI: 10.1038/nature12893 (2013).

NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.; NIAID Vaccine Research Center Director John R. Mascola, M.D.; and Mario Roederer, Ph.D., chief of the ImmunoTechnology Section at the NIAID VRC, are available for interviews.

To schedule interviews, please contact Laura S. Leifman, (301) 402-1663, laura.sivitz@nih.gov.

NIAID conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Amara's stretched out eye

2013-12-19
NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Amara's stretched out eye Tropical Cyclone Amara's eye appeared elongated on satellite imagery from NASA on December 18. Tropical Cyclone Amara is spinning in the Southern Indian Ocean along with Tropical Cyclone Bruce, and both share ...

Powerful ancient explosions explain new class of supernovae

2013-12-19
Powerful ancient explosions explain new class of supernovae Study by UCSB scientist finds they likely originate from the creation of magnetars Astronomers affiliated with the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS) have discovered two of the brightest and ...

Long-acting reversible contraception in the context of full access, full choice

2013-12-19
Long-acting reversible contraception in the context of full access, full choice 2013 statement from the Bellagio Group on LARCs NEW YORK (18 December 2013) — In November 2013 at the International Conference on Family Planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Population ...

Total smoking bans work best

2013-12-19
Total smoking bans work best With no place to puff, smokers are more likely to cut back or quit, researchers say Completely banning tobacco use inside the home – or more broadly in the whole city – measurably boosts the odds of smokers either cutting back ...

Study finds Catalina Island Conservancy contraception program effectively manages bison population

2013-12-19
Study finds Catalina Island Conservancy contraception program effectively manages bison population Iconic species thrives with more humane and cost-effective approach to population control AVALON, CA -- The wild bison roaming ...

UTHealth program results in happier patients, lower costs in esophageal surgery

2013-12-19
UTHealth program results in happier patients, lower costs in esophageal surgery HOUSTON – (Dec. 18, 2013) – A new program designed to increase the overall satisfaction of patients undergoing esophageal surgery has resulted ...

Role for sugar uptake in breast cancer revealed

2013-12-19
Role for sugar uptake in breast cancer revealed Berkeley Lab researchers show that aerobic glycolysis is a cause of malignancy Metabolism was lost in the shadows of cancer research for decades but has recently been reclaiming some of the spotlight. ...

New anti-HIV drug target identified by University of Minnesota researchers

2013-12-19
New anti-HIV drug target identified by University of Minnesota researchers University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a first-of-its-kind series of compounds possessing anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity. The compounds ...

New geology research explores intriguing questions

2013-12-19
New geology research explores intriguing questions New Geology articles posted online Dec. 13, 2013 Boulder, Colo., USA - Can spaceborne radar help predict sinkholes? What do ancient ambers reveal about paleochemotaxonomy? How does serpentinization affect sub-seafloor ...

Stem cells offer clues to reversing receding hairlines

2013-12-19
Stem cells offer clues to reversing receding hairlines Regenerative medicine may offer ways to banish baldness that don't involve toupees. The lab of USC scientist Krzysztof Kobielak, MD, PhD has published a trio of papers in the journals Stem ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Ohio State scientists advance focus on nuclear propulsion

New study reveals a hidden risk after cervical cancer

Environment: Indigenous Amazon territories benefit human health

Zoology: Octopuses put their best arm forward for every task

New research reveals wild octopus arms in action

NEW STUDY: Across eight Amazon countries, forests on Indigenous lands reduce spread of 27 diseases – From respiratory ailments to illnesses spread by insects, animals

How many ways can an octopus flex its supple arms? Now we know

Analysis of ‘magic mushroom’ edibles finds no psilocybin but many undisclosed active ingredients

Modifiable parental factors and adolescent sleep during early adolescence

Excess HIV infections and costs associated with reductions in HIV prevention services in the us

Clocks created from random events can probe ‘quantumness’ of universe

Schaeffer Center white paper outlines FDA reforms to boost pharmaceutical innovation and expand access 

Michael Welsh, MD, wins Lasker Award for cystic fibrosis research

The metals reveal: The Bronze Age was more connected than we previously thought

Portable light-based brain monitor shows promise for dementia diagnosis

AI tools uncover new link between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and aging

Researchers revive the pinhole camera for next-gen infrared imaging

Gender gap in Africa’s water leadership undermines fair policymaking

City of Hope Research Spotlight, August 2025

NIH funds study of type 1 diabetes development

Preventing recidivism after imprisonment

Mass General Brigham’s Kraft Center announces winner and finalists of the 2025 Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health

Researchers develop novel approach for experimentally measuring the Unruh effect with high accuracy

Americans’ knowledge of civics increases, Annenberg survey finds

Multifaceted benefits of ginseng and its extracts: a brief review of immunomodulation, quality of life improvement, and antitumor potential

Korea University study reveals hidden complexity in recurrent brain tumors

How an immune cell receptor dampens the fight against fungal infection

SeoulTech researchers uncover high PAHs in common foods

Precision in the pancreas: New test transforms hereditary pancreatitis diagnosis and care

Peer-reviewed study validates Mentavi’s online ADHD diagnostic evaluation in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

[Press-News.org] Animal vaccine study yields insights that may advance HIV vaccine research