We are thrilled to share our newest publication in Nature Immunology

Administration of HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies can suppress viremia and prevent infection in vivo. However, clinical use has been limited by the virus’s envelope diversity and rapid escape. To address this, we performed single B cell profiling of 32 top HIV-1 elite neutralizers to identify broadly neutralizing antibodies with the highest antiviral activity.

From this work, we discovered an antibody, 04_A06, that can neutralize nearly every known HIV variant. In lab tests, it blocked 98.5% of over 300 HIV strains.

In experiments with humanized mice, 04_A06 reduced the viral load to undetectable levels — and kept it there. Previous antibodies haven’t managed this, as resistance usually develops quickly.

What makes 04_A06 so remarkable is its unique structure: a long amino acid chain acts like an extra “grappling arm,” allowing it to reach hard-to-access parts of the virus. These regions are so crucial for HIV that they can hardly mutate without losing function — which means the antibody stays effective even against typical escape mutations.

Our computer models suggest that a single dose of 04_A06 could provide over 93% protection for more than six months. This makes it promising both for treating existing infections and for preventive use in people at high risk.

This work was only possible thanks to a close international collaboration with research centers in Africa, Nepal, and the USA, and generous support from the Gates Foundation, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), and the European Research Council (ERC).

Our results have now been published in Nature Immunology.

www.nature.com/articles/s41590-025-02286-5

DOI: 10.1038/s41590-025-02286-5