Novel HIV-1 Env Immunogens for Immuno-Focusing

Ruth Ruprecht of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the U.S. will develop a new vaccine platform for HIV based on the hypothesis that immunodominant regions of the virus may be irrelevant to neutralizing the virus and also prevent access to neutralizing epitopes in conserved regions. The team will also use structural mimics of important epitopes in an effort to generate a strong, broadly neutralizing antibody response against these conversed sites.