Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are known to protect against HIV infection. However, there are challenges to triggering bnAbs through vaccination and bnAbs rarely develop during infection. In humans, bnAb-precursor B cells are rather uncommon.
Now, a first-in-human test evaluated the safety of a germline targeting priming vaccine candidate—eOD-GT8 60mer nanoparticle adjuvanted with AS01B—and whether it would induce bnAb-precursor responses. The promising results show that the germline-targeting priming immunogen was safe and induced bnAb-precursor responses in 26 of the 27 vaccine recipients (97%).
