A single injection of long-acting HIV antibodies can prevent infection in monkeys

antibody that targets HIV in a single injection can prevent HIV infection in monkeys for up to 20 weeks, according to a paper published online today. The findings could help develop intermittent preventive antibody injections to prevent HIV infection.
more than 30 years of research, no HIV vaccine or treatment has been found. However, studies of HIV-specific immune responses have shown that individuals infected with HIV can produce antibodies that block a large number of viral strains. These antibodies are clinically tested to control levels of the virus in HIV-positive individuals, and preclinical tests are being conducted in monkeys to determine whether they can prevent infection.
now, Malcolm Martin and colleagues at Rockefeller University in New York report that a single injection of antibodies can long-term prevent monkey infection with human/monkey immunodeficiency chiffon virus (SHIV). The injection was developed by retrofitting two different HIV-infested antibodies so that the modified antibodies stay in the blood for two to four times longer than the unmodated antibodies. The modified antibodies were injected under the skin to prevent shiV infection in most monkeys, with a medium protection period of 20 weeks.
Because a single injection can induce long-lasting PROTECTION against HIV infection, in the absence of an HIV vaccine, this provides the basis for the development of antibodies to be used as pre-exposure probing drugs once a year or twice a year. (Source: Feng Weiwei, China Science Journal)