Role of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies in the Controlling of HIV-1 Infection

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are monoclonal antibodies capable of inactivating a wide spectrum of HIV-1 sub-types and variants. These immunoglobulins were identified in 2009 in a small number of HIV-infected people. Their appearance during the process of natural infection was found to be substantially retarded and complicated. Vaccine applications have not been to produce such antibodies with sufficient properties. Thanks to the new technological advances, numerous neutralizing antibodies were designed and obtained by modelling natural antibodies. It is expected that a strong, long-lasting, easy-to-administer, low-side-effect bNAb combinations will provide significant improvement in the control and treatment of HIV infection in the not-distant future. In this review, mechanisms of action of these antibodies and the current stage of clinical research aimed at evaluation of their efficacy are reviewed.