What lessons can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic for HIV? NaturePortfolio NIH COVID19 SARSCoV2 Pandemic HIV
By Tarun Sai LomteAug 31 2022Reviewed by Aimee Molineux A recent study published in Communications Medicine discussed how experiences from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic could be leveraged for human immunodeficiency virus .
Advances in HIV research contributed to COVID-19 research. The success of COVID-19 vaccination was possible due to decades of research on HIV. Some contributing factors include innovative techniques to rapidly detect and sequence the viral pathogen and novel approaches for vaccine delivery . Moreover, creating the stabilized spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was partly made possible by years of research on the structural biology of HIV.
However, the HIV envelope protein presents additional challenges, including the poorly immunogenic and dense envelope glycan shield and the variable loop regions in the envelope with epitopes for potent nAbs and weak or non-neutralizing antibodies on a stabilized envelope. Additionally, the molecular mimicry of envelope epitopes leads to the cross-reactivity of antibodies with human proteins.
The CAG coordinated existing efforts to speed up the development, production, and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. The engagement of the US government with the private sector to advance COVID-19 vaccine development was significant. Open access data and their effective sharing were paramount to the success of these collaborations.