Novel Broadly Reactive HIV-Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody Against Receptor-Induced Epitope on gp120
Description of Invention:
This invention provides a novel anti-HIV human monoclonal antibody named X5. The X5 antibody demonstrates promise over other conventional anti-HIV antibodies because this antibody presents a unique binding activity different than its counterparts. It has been established that the very initial stage of HIV-1 entry into cells is mediated by a complex between the virus envelope glycoprotein (Env) such as gp120-gp41, a receptor CD4 and a co-receptor CCR5. The X5 antibody binds to an epitope on gp120 that is induced by interaction between gp120 and the receptor CD4 and enhanced by the co-receptor CCR5. The X5 antibody also shows strong activity at very low levels (in the range from 0.0001 - 0.1 Mg/ml concentration is dependent on the isolate). Because it is a human antibody, it can be administered directly into patients so that it is an ideal candidate for clinical trials. It also can be easily produced because it was obtained by screening of phage display libraries and its sequence is known. Finally, since it has neutralized all virus envelope glycoproteins, including from primary isolates from different clades that were tested against, the epitope is very conserved and resistance is unlikely to develop. Therefore, this antibody and/or its derivatives including fusion proteins with CD4 are good candidates for clinical development.
For Additional Information Please Contact: Sally Hu PhD MBA
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301) 435-5606
Email: hus@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
