Participating entities
IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Germans Trias i Pujol Institute for Health Science Research (IGTP), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)
The membrane proximal external region (MPER) of the HIV envelope glycoprotein is a target for generating neutralizing antibodies. We have identified a miniprotein derived from gp41 which, in the form of proteoliposomes, generates strong humoral responses in murine models. Our results, however, demonstrate the presence of both neutralizing and non-neutralizing responses to the MPER. Therefore, in this project we propose:
1. To define the structural determinants associated with neutralizing and non-neutralizing activity.