The implications of antigenic diversity for vaccine development

The reactivity of human monoclonal and polyclonal anti-HIV-1 antibodies dem onstrates that shared epitopes, including those that induce neutralizing an tibodies, exist and are recognized by the human immune system. A priori, th ere is no reason why cross-clade neutralizing antibodies could not be induc ed by an appropriately constructed HIV vaccine. But to construct such a vac cine, it is critical to understand, as completely as possible, the antigeni c structure of HIV, to establish and identify immunologic classifications f or HIV, and to choose rationally the minimum number and types of viruses fr om these immunologic groupings that will induce the broadest protective res ponses. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.