Designing immunity to HIV: Manipulating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity antibodies

Abstract

The failure of HIV vaccine concepts based upon either simple antibody or T-cell immunity means that newer concepts in immunity to HIV require urgent investigation. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses, utilizing the arms of humoral and innate immunity, have been studied for many years, but their role in controlling or preventing HIV-1 remains controversial. Newer technologies can now be applied to study and map ADCC responses. This permits experiments to purify and isolate HIV-specific ADCC antibodies and directly assess their role in preventing simian-HIV infections in macaques. Analogous to complexities in the quality and specificity of T-cell and neutralizing antibody..