Overview
- In a peer-reviewed Science study, MIT and Scripps Research used DNA origami to display the eOD‑GT8 HIV antigen in humanized mouse models.
- The DNA-based particle drove nearly 60% of germinal center B cells to target the HIV antigen versus about 20% with a protein scaffold.
- Researchers reported roughly 10-fold more target-specific immune cells and an approximately 25-fold better on-target to off-target ratio than the protein comparator.
- The platform also produced about eightfold more precursor B cells on the bnAb pathway, with the desired rare cells detectable within two weeks only in the DNA-scaffold group.
- Scientists say the DNA scaffold let them isolate scaffold-driven distractions for the first time, and they emphasize the findings are preclinical even as they explore broader vaccine applications.