B-cell restriction – an alternative piece to the puzzle

Gershoni, Jonathan M.

The immune system has evolved to effectively counteract and eliminate infectious viruses. Vaccination has been the most effective medical intervention since immunity was first discovered. However, for some viruses, the paradigm of training our immune system with a discrete immunogen faithfully representing the native pathogen in its entirety simply does not work. The evolution of "virus fast moving-targets", hypervariable species that evade the canonical "expected" B-cell response, presents a challenge to the vaccine industry. Here is where nextgeneration biotechnological ingenuity must step in. Our understanding of the natural B-cell response is extensive. One means to outwit HIV-1 and counter influenza is to play outside the box where virus evolution cannot anticipate. Paradoxically, one way of achieving this goal is by B-cell restriction.