1.

Based on what you have learned about how HIV enters the cell and replicates, how would you
approach vaccine development?

HIV can be mistaken as just any other virus, but the key part that sets it apart from other viruses is
that it mutates with each attack. Since the immune system can’t always distinguish this disease, it
doesn’t kill it off, in other words once you get HIV you’ll always have it (1). HIV attacks your T-cells or
CD4 cells. Your body uses these cells to fight infections and disease, but when HIV invades them, it
uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them (1). Now, as previously stated, we
know that HIV mutates quite often, but it doesn’t change completely. The virus has to keep small
parts of its proteins the same just so it can survive. If we could find a way to target these proteins,
then we might be able to create a vaccine (2).

2. What molecule on the surface of the virus do you think would be a good target for a vaccine?

The envelope protein GP120 is responsible for attaching to specific cell receptors, further spreading
the virus. “NIH research published in Science reports the discovery of antibodies that bind 91% of
HIV-1 strains at the CD4bs region of gp120 potentially offering a therapeutic and vaccine strategy
(3).”

Works Cited:

1. https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/
2. http://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/tomas-hanke-hiv-vaccine-development
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envelope_glycoprotein_GP120