Scientists move closer to HIV vaccine, isolate antibodies
NEW DELHI: Scientists have isolated the most powerful broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV so far - a major step towards finding an effective vaccine against the deadly virus.

Capable of fighting a broad spectrum of variants of HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - some of the 17 antibodies discovered jointly by The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and The Scripps Research Institute blocked HIV infection of cells as much as 10 to 100 times as potently as the previously discovered bNAbs.

An antibody is an infection-fighting protein produced by our immune system when it detects harmful substances like viruses and bacteria. These HIV neutralizing antibodies are produced naturally by a minority infected with HIV, but who show no symptoms......