Dual-Germline Antibody Engager Chimeric HIV–1 Immunogens
Description of Technology: Despite four decades of intensive research, a safe and effective HIV–1 vaccine
remains elusive due to the extreme difficulty in eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which
recognize and block HIV–1 from entering healthy cells. Only rare natural HIV–1 envelopes (Envs) promote the activation and expansion of naïve B cells expressing unmutated germline antibodies of various bNAb lineages, but they typically do so for a single lineage for the same neutralization site. To overcome this challenge, NIAID has designed and characterized two chimeric HIV–1 Env immunogens capable of simultaneously engaging multiple germline bNAb lineages. Both chimeric Env immunogens maintain
native-like folding and engage two lineages of germline bNAbs directed against two independent sites of HIV–1 vulnerability.
This technology is available for licensing for commercial development in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404, as well as for further development and evaluation under a research collaboration.
- Immunization: The dual-germline engager HIV–1 immunogens could be employed during the priming phase of an HIV vaccine to trigger multiple bNAb lineages simultaneously, resulting in a multi-target protective antibody response.
- Clinical Treatment: The dualgermline engager HIV–1 immunogens could serve as an alternative to current anti-retrovirals or incorporated into current HIV treatment strategies.
- Dual-germline engager HIV–1 Env immunogens are inherently superior to the currently available single-germlineengagers for eliciting bNAbs.
- The chimeric design could be expanded to generate HIV–1 Env trimers with even more germline bNAbspecificities to enable a broader immunogenic response against HIV.