HIV vaccine moves a step closer

An HIV vaccine has come a step closer with the identification of immune system cells that can be targeted to provide protection against the most common form of the virus.

A Phase I clinical trial that will test the ability of an engineered HIV protein to activate the antibody-generating cells is now in the planning stage.

The cells are precursors of a specific B-cell, a type of white blood cell, that produces the right sort of antibodies capable of attacking and neutralising multiple strains of the HIV-1 virus.