Perspectives for the utilization of neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies as anti-HCV drugs.
A major problem in hepatitis C virus (HCV) immunotherapy or vaccine design is the extreme variability of the virus. We identified human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that neutralize genetically diverse HCV isolates and protect against heterologous HCV quasispecies challenge in a human liver-chimeric mouse model. The results provide evidence that broadly neutralizing antibodies to HCV protect against heterologous viral infection and suggest that a prophylactic vaccine against HCV may be achievable.
Burioni
Roberto
R
Laboratorio di Microbiologia e Virologia, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Istituto Scientifico San Raffaele, San Raffaele Diagnostica e Ricerca, Milan, Italy. roberto.burioni@hsr.it
Perotti
Mario
M
Mancini
Nicasio
N
Clementi
Massimo
M