Media Availability: Antibodies from Unconventional B Cells Less Likely to Neutralize HIV, NIH Study Finds

Media Availability: Antibodies from Unconventional B Cells Less Likely to Neutralize HIV, NIH Study Finds

Thursday March 17, 2016

Antibodies from Unconventional B Cells Less Likely To Neutralize HIV, NIH Study Finds

Researchers report HIV antibodies derived from a type of immune cell called a tissue-like memory B cell, found in high numbers in individuals with chronic, uncontrolled virus, are less effective at neutralizing HIV than antibodies derived from resting memory B cells, which are more common in people without HIV. The findings add to a list of reasons most HIV-infected people do not make effective antibodies against the virus and cannot clear the infection on their own. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.