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UCLA AIDS Institute discovers HIV antibody

By Daily Bruin Staff

Oct. 16, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 17, 1996

RESEARCH:

Immune trait may increase an individual’s resistanceBy Kathryn
Combs

Daily Bruin Contributor

With the AIDS virus having reached epidemic proportions, doctors
everywhere are scurrying to discover ways to eliminate or slow the
spread of this deadly disease.

Recently UCLA researchers have made an advance in staving off
the enemy.

A new immune trait which may promote HIV resistance in affected
individuals has been discovered by a group of researchers with the
UCLA AIDS Institute.

The VH3 antibody, also referred to as the Variable-Region Heavy
Chain antibody from the third family, is thought to be one of the
many factors affecting an individual’s susceptibility to HIV
infection.

In viral diseases, antibodies found in the bloodstream help
protect cells against infection by blocking the entry of the virus
into that cell. The VH3 antibody is not virus specific, meaning it
can bind to various viruses ­ including HIV.

Dr. Jonathan Braun, chair of UCLA’s Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine played a key role in conducting the study. He
explained that while both infected and non-infected people have the
VH3 antibody, it is present in various levels. An individual’s
susceptibility to HIV infection is dependent on the amount of
antibodies found in the bloodstream.

"The levels of these VH3 antibodies vary greatly in the
population," said Braun in statement.

"Only certain people ­ about 15 percent of the population
­ express high levels," he added. Braun, who is also a member
of the UCLA AIDS Institute, was unavailable for further
comment.

The study consisted of 252 affected individuals, most of which
were homosexual men. Categorized by rate of infection and level of
HIV exposure, individual data revealed that persons with high
levels of VH3 antibodies were somewhat resistant to further
infection by the HIV virus through sexual contact only.

"The study implies that people with high levels of the
antibodies are more resistant … people with low levels of VH3
seem to be correlated with an increased risk of infection," said
Dr. Lee Goodglick, co-director of the Human Tissues Research Center
and fellow researcher of Braun.

"It may be an indicator of who is more or less at risk … we
are continuing to study this measure," he said.

The continuing study will also attempt to uncover who has high
levels of the antibody and who doesn’t.

Researchers stress that although the discovery of this antibody
is a breakthrough, it is not the only factor contributing to an
individual’s susceptibility to HIV infection.

"The protective mechanism is not 100 percent … it just makes
them five-fold less susceptible than those with lower levels of the
antibody," he continued.

Researchers are currently working to explore the ways that the
antibody functions, since they are not sure yet why it behaves the
way it does.

"Our hypothesis is that this may be a natural defense of the
body … in that case it may present a novel application to
immunization or intervention … If the levels of these antibodies
indicate the rate of infection you could easily vary these levels
in any individual," said Goodglick.

If VH3 is a natural immunity to HIV, patients could develop
higher levels of the antibody through therapy, thereby slowing
rates of infection.

"In my opinion if you could develop a vaccination that favored a
response of this particular antibody type, that would add an
additional protective influence against infection," said Jerome
Zack, Associate Director for Basic Sciences with the UCLA AIDS
Institute.

Although still preliminary, the research makes noteworthy
headway in AIDS research according to Ronald Mitsuyasu, director of
the Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education Center.

"It’s a significant discovery and has significant implications
for the development of a potential AIDS preventive vaccine,"
Mitsuyasu said.

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