CAHR2017 Special Session Future of Canadian HIV Vaccine Research - Part 1

From Young Investigator and Research Community Perspectives

Host: This symposium was co-developed with the CHVI
Research and Development Alliance Coordinating Office and
CIHR

Moderators:
Dr. Jonathan Angel, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute,
Ottawa, ON
Dr. Michael Grant, Memorial University, St. John’s, NFLD

Presenter:
Dr. Matthew Parsons, Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of
Melbourne, Australia

Preventing cell-associated virus infection with broadly
neutralizing antibodies
– New HIV-1 infections can be
established by cell-free or cell-associated virus. While there is
much evidence that broadly neutralizing antibodies (BnAbs)
can prevent infection by cell-free virions, little is known
about the ability of BnAbs to block infection initiated by cell-
associated virus. We now present evidence that the PGT121
BnAb can provide partial protection from cell-associated viral
challenge in a non-human primate model of infection. The
implications of these results for designing vaccines to prevent
cell-associated virus transmission will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the importance of targeting cell-associated virus
in HIV-1 vaccine design
2. Identify evidence that infections initiated by cell-associated
virus can be blocked by broadly neutralizing antibodies.