Germline-targeted HIV vaccine sparks broad antibody response in primates

A germline-targeting, adjuvanted HIV vaccine administered to outbred nonhuman primates elicited bnAb-class memory B cells and serum neutralizing activity against diverse HIV isolates. bnAb lineages formed in >50% of animals with up to 67% neutralization breadth, and serum bnAb activity appeared in 44% of subjects, with some titers projected to offer protection. Structural data showed the vaccine-induced antibodies mimic key human bnAb interactions with the HIV envelope, providing proof-of-principle that germline-targeting vaccines can reliably induce prespecified bnAb classes under endogenous conditions and warrant further optimization for HIV vaccines.