# Evaluation of a Novel Antigen-Enhanced, Anti-Idiotypic Antibody Vaccine Strategy

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEOVAXSYN, INC. · 2020 · $250,449

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV-1 is the utmost critical goal towards the development
of a protective AIDS vaccine. In this proposal, we will evaluate a novel “Antigen-Enhanced, Anti-Idiotypic Antibody
(AEAIA)” vaccine strategy to elicit PGT128-like bnAbs against HIV-1. PGT128, a bnAb isolated from a HIV-1-infected
patient, has been shown to neutralize ~72% of all HIV-1 isolates tested. Furthermore, PGT128 is highly potent with median
IC50 of 0.02 µg/ml. Establishment of a vaccine strategy that can induce PGT128-like bnAbs would be a major milestone
towards AIDS vaccine development. Thus, our proposal is highly significant and, if successful, this project will have great
impact in the AIDS vaccine field and the immunogens we generate will have a significant commercial value. This proposal
is based on a scientific premise that a priming immunogen (primogen) plays a critical role in generating a B-cell repertoire
that will determine antibody responses during subsequent exposures to antigenically related boosting immunogens. As such,
developing a primogen that can induce antibodies directed predominantly against the PGT128 neutralizing epitope is of
paramount importance. The major innovation and the focus of this proposal is AEAIA vaccine strategy, in which immune-
complexes are used as immunogens. Although the process is conceptually similar to generating PGT128-like anti-anti-
idiotypic antibodies, our strategy is technically distinct and superior in that we are using an antigen-antibody immune
complex as an immunogen. The primary objective of this study is to generate mV3-antibody complexes that could be used
as a primogen to induce PGT128-like bnAbs, or at least induce a large repertoire of antibodies that target the PGT128
neutralizing epitope, which could be further refined by sequential boosting with progressively more native envelope
antigens. Successful completion of this study would overcome a critical roadblock towards development of a protective
AIDS vaccine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9840443
- **Project number:** 5R21AI143505-02
- **Recipient organization:** NEOVAXSYN, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael W Cho
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $250,449
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-19 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9840443

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9840443, Evaluation of a Novel Antigen-Enhanced, Anti-Idiotypic Antibody Vaccine Strategy (5R21AI143505-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9840443. Licensed CC0.

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