HIV-AIDS: broadly neutralizing antibodies, stars of the lab

Antibodies are undoubtedly among the most effective and popular players in our immune system. These Y-shaped proteins inhibit the action of pathogens by binding to some of their surface antigens, while also helping eliminate them. But some antibodies are more effective than others, especially when dealing with viruses. Some can stop a specific type of virus, while others are remarkably versatile and are capable of neutralizing several viral variants. These are known as broadly neutralizing antibodies, or bNAbs. And at the Institut Pasteur, like in dozens of other laboratories worldwide, they are real stars: they were the subject of more than 3,000 publications between 2013 and 2023. «There is huge interest in broadly neutralizing antibodies because they are powerful, effective at low doses and generally multifunctional», confirms Hugo Mouquet, Head of the Institut Pasteur’s Humoral Immunology Unit. «We see them as crucial tools for developing novel therapies for chronic infectious diseases (HIV-1, hepatitis B, etc.) – as was also the case for COVID-19 – and also for helping vaccine development.»

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This article is the third in a series devoted to the hopes of HIV-AIDS research, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the identification of the virus.