Enabling Rapid Stable Cell Line Development For Enhanced HIV Vaccine Efficacy

The Berman group at UCSC has made strides in HIV vaccine development by engineering a CHO cell line to express the HIV envelope glycoprotein rgp120, crucial for vaccine efficacy. Utilizing MaxCyte STX electroporation, a high-yielding stable clone was generated in under ten weeks, a significant improvement on the previous 18-month timeline. The rgp120 expressed by the clone showed strong binding to several broadly neutralizing antibodies, suggesting consistent glycosylation and potential high immunogenicity. This advancement could expedite HIV vaccine development.