HIV Eliminated in Newborns

HIV Eliminated from Newborns

There are numerous cases annually that result in pregnant, HIV-positive mothers who give birth to a HIV-positive baby. In most cases, mothers take antiretroviral medicine to help themselves and their newborns; however, there are still large amounts of situations where mother-to-baby transmission occurs. A recent study involving the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine and the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU involved baby primates (monkeys) who were HIV-positive. In this case study, researchers and scientists administered two antibody vaccines to the monkeys within 30 hours of being exposed. The results were outstanding as all of the primates did not develop SHIV (the monkey form of HIV). Another study included newborn monkeys who were “delayed treatment until 48 hours, which resulted in half of the baby macaques developing SHIV when they were given four smaller doses of the same antibody cocktail. In comparison, the study found macaques that received the current standard HIV treatment -- antiretroviral drugs -- remained SHIV-free when they started a three-week regimen of that therapy 48 hours after exposure” (Oregon Health and Science University, 2020).

This research is the first time that a neutralizing antibody has been found to prevent SHIV infection in nonhuman monkey newborns. Antibodies are extremely common in research as they aren’t toxic, can be modified in numerous ways, and can last a significantly long time in the human body; which is great for research! Moving forward, this team aims to make these antibodies stronger so they can combat HIV in adults, not just newborns. This milestone is a huge step forward in finding a cure for HIV and opens the door for large amounts of research to be conducted in the future.

- Shayla Bannert

Resources:

Mariya B. Shapiro, Tracy Cheever, Delphine C. Malherbe, Shilpi Pandey, Jason Reed, Eun Sung Yang, Keyun Wang, Amarendra Pegu, Xuejun Chen, Don Siess, David Burke, Heidi Henderson, Rebecca Lewinsohn, Miranda Fischer, Jeffrey J. Stanton, Michael K. Axthelm, Christoph Kahl, Byung Park, Anne D. Lewis, Jonah B. Sacha, John R. Mascola, Ann J. Hessell, Nancy L. Haigwood. Single dose bNAb cocktail or abbreviated ART post-exposure regimens achieve tight SHIV control without adaptive immunity. Nature Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13972-y

Oregon Health & Science University. (2020, January 7). Single dose of antibodies can knock out HIV in newborns: Combination of 2 antibodies taken 30 hours after virus exposure prevents infection in baby monkeys. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 28, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200107081243.htm