The targets we are trying to immunize with are believed to be beneficial by a statistical analysis similar to what is described here: Mothe B, Anuska L, Ibarrondo J, Daniels M, Miranda C, Zamarreno J, et al. Definition of the viral targets of protective HIV-1-specific T cell responses. Journal of Translational Medicine 2011;9(208):20.
The guys who generated the peptides we are using have specifically asked us not to talk about the sequences because they are trying to publish now. We hope that these targets will be conserved to the point that resistance is limited (as may be the case in some HIV controllers) - won't know without clinical data.
I am not asking about the peptide sequence, just the protein it is derived from. But, if you cannot share that right now, that's OK too. I'll look out for the publication.
However, assuming I am making an educated guess about the parent protein, I'd go with gp120/gp41 envelope (env). I may be totally wrong there and you guys may have another ace up your sleeve (do hope so, fingers crossed!). Good luck!
Let's not overlook the decades of prior data! The field is littered with names like VRC01, Camelid and so many other players. I know, I know, antibodies all versus antigen in this case. But keep reading ...
HIV is a master at developing resistant forms of itself. What if it changes the epitope and evades the vaccine induced antibody(ies), again!?! (Edit: Don't forget the long-term viral reservoirs that survive against the best antiretrovirals known to us!)
This is something I care about personally: What is their strategy against resistance? (Or, like everyone else before them, they will build that bridge when the water is above their nose!?! Not being snarky, just very concerned.)
And might I also ask: Any concerns about accidentally inducing an autoimmune disorder with that antigen/epitope? Why/why not?
Added: I'd love to see these guys succeed and really want to see a rationale and approach that goes beyond what has been tried and not worked so far. Also, kudos for the open-science approach!