China Focus: Chinese researchers isolate anti-HIV antibody from alpacas

NANJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) — A Chinese research team has isolated an antibody from alpacas that can effectively inhibit HIV, providing a promising avenue for the development of new anti-AIDS drugs.
The findings were recently published in the international academic journal Nature Communications.
Antiretroviral therapy is currently the primary clinical approach to inhibiting HIV replication, according to Wu Zhiwei, professor at the School of Medicine, Nanjing University.
While this treatment effectively extends the lifespan of patients, it may lead to significant drug resistance in the virus. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore new therapies, said Wu, who is also a co-corresponding author of the research.
The primary approach in the clinical development of new anti-AIDS drugs targets the process by which the virus enters host cells. In this process, a receptor known as CD4 acts as a “doorknob,” which the virus utilizes to open the cell’s “door.”
The researcher team isolated thousands of CD4 nanobodies (a smaller, more stable type of antibody) from alpacas, of which Nb457 showed the potential to inhibit HIV.
They built a series of pseudoviruses to simulate 117 HIV strains and caused them to interact with Nb457.
The results showed that Nb457 effectively inhibited 116 virus strains, showing good broad-spectrum and antiviral activity.
In true virus tests, the trimeric nanobodies engineered from Nb457 have demonstrated potent inhibition of HIV, said Wu Xilin, a researcher at the School of Medicine, Nanjing University, another co-corresponding author of the research.
The results of mice experiments also showed that the virus was almost undetectable in the treated mice, and no drug-resistant mutations were found, Wu said.
HIV mutates rapidly and is prone to drug resistance, leading to a decline in drug efficacy, according to Wu.
The newly discovered antibody does not target the virus itself but the “doorknob” CD4, making it less likely to induce drug resistance in the virus and offering significant implications for the development of new anti-AIDS drugs and clinical treatment, Wu said. ■