HIV Neutralizing Antibodies: Clinical Correlates and Implications for Vaccines

Neutralizing humoral immunity has been the subject of intense investigation since early in HIV research. While virtually all HIV-positive patients have antibodies capable of binding to HIV Env protein, only a subset of these antibodies, termed neutralizing antibodies (NAb), are able to block viral entry into target cells. NAbs develop later than other immune responses – at least 12 weeks after infection [1, 2] – and initially target only the infecting strain. Over time, in many patients this response broadens to allow recognition of heterologous strains [3, 4]. It is generally thought that NAbs will be a critical component of a successful vaccine-elicited immune response.