hope for an AIDS vaccine and bNAbs

Research on an AIDS vaccine has been ongoing for years.  Very few positive results have been achieved.  More recently the focus has been on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs).  Broadly neutralizing antibodies show up naturally in a person infected with HIV only later in the infection.  These antibodies have been shown to be effective in neutralizing the HIV virus but only if they appear early in HIV infection.

The idea now is to try to develop a vaccine which elicits bNAbs.

In your investigation of this problem, determine why the vaccines developed in the past  have largely been ineffective in prevening AIDS. 

Also, answer the following questions.

Why are bNAbs effective?
Why are they more effective in early infection?
Why are they produced later in HIV infection?
Do you think an effective AIDS vaccine will be developed?

due Oct 31

Danger Will Robinson

In the old TV series "Lost in Space" Will Robinson was warned by his robot when danger approached. In theoretical immunology a relatively new theory called the danger hypothesis is a challenge to the self vs non-self theory. In the danger hypothesis, broken down cell components alert the immune system.  Thus, it is a self component which alerts the immune system  Learn more about this hypothesis and answer the following questions.


1 What is the data that supports this theory?
2 Do you think this is a challenge to the self vs non-self theory?
3 Is it possible that PRRs are involved in the danger mechanism of immune activation?

DUE OCT 20