Conference report: "Functional Glycomics in HIV Type 1 Vaccine Design" workshop report, Bethesda, Maryland, April 30-May 1, 2012.

A vital part of the renewed hope for a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is based on recent studies that have highlighted major sites of HIV-1 vulnerability that could be effectively targeted by a preventive vaccine. One of these potential vulnerabilities includes the dense cluster of carbohydrates surrounding HIV-1's envelope glycoproteins gp120 and gp41, typically referred to as the "glycan shield." Recent data from several laboratories have shown that glycans on the HIV-1 envelope form key epitopes for broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAb).

Immune activation in the pathogenesis of treated chronic HIV disease: a workshop summary.

With the advent of highly effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a chronic disease rather than a death sentence. Nevertheless, effectively treated individuals have a higher than normal risk for developing noninfectious comorbidities, including cardiovascular and renal disease. Although traditional risk factors of aging as well as treatment toxicity contribute to this risk, many investigators consider chronic HIV-associated inflammation a significant factor in such end-organ disease.

Gram-negative outer membrane vesicles in vaccine development.

Gram-negative bacteria naturally and constitutively release lipid bilayer vesicles from the outer membrane. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) range in size from approximately 20-200 nanometers in diameter and enclose many native bacterial antigens in the spherical particles. Composed of outer membrane and periplasmic constituents, the vesicles function in diverse roles that, ultimately, make them a transportable part of the bacterial arsenal and survival system.