Researchers in the US aim to infuse an antibody into human immunodeficiency virus -HIV-negative men

• New York: In a first study of its magnitude, researchers in the US aim to infuse an antibody into human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative men and transgender individuals to determine whether it will prevent the infection from developing.
• The Antibody Meditated Prevention (AMP) study -- led by an Indian-origin scientist -- aims to recruit a combined 2,700 HIV-negative men and transgender individuals whose sexual partners are men -- the highest-risk demographic for HIV infection -- to test the efficacy of antibody VRC01 in the large clinical trial. 
• "It is the first study of this magnitude to see whether an antibody infusion can help prevent new HIV infections. If it proves effective, it could potentially pave a way for developing a vaccine for HIV infection," said Shobha Swaminathan, an infectious disease specialist from Rutgers University in New Jersey, US.
• The VRC01 antibody was initially detected in an individual who was able to successfully control HIV infection without taking any medications for HIV.
• Further, in laboratory tests, VRC01 antibody has shown to be effective against 90 per cent of HIV-1 isolates that were tested, the researchers said. 
• Those enrolled will either be given intravenous infusions of VRC01 or a placebo every eight weeks for a total of 10 infusions.
• Participants will be closely monitored for approximately 22 months for safety and also to determine whether they have remained HIV-negative.
• HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, though the rate of infection has fallen significantly in recent years. 
• In 2014, gay and bisexual men accounted for an estimated 83 per cent of all new HIV infections among men in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
• Though the number of new HIV diagnoses fell 19 per cent from 2005 to 2014, certain demographic groups showed increases in the infection, CDC noted. 
• "According to CDC estimates, only about 25 per cent of people who are HIV-positive have it under control," says Swaminathan.

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