Louis Picker on neutralizing antibodies
From Louis J Picker l The Antibody Series · · FairJourney Biologics
“Neutralizing antibodies have a longer half-life than antiretroviral drugs, which may provide an obstacle to viral rebound even as antibody levels approach sub-therapeutic levels.”
On , Louis Picker, Co-Founder & Scientific Advisor at VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC, spoke about neutralizing antibodies during Louis J Picker l The Antibody Series on FairJourney Biologics.
About Louis Picker
Louis Picker, a professor at Oregon Health and Science University and co-founder and scientific advisor of Vir Biotechnology, has been involved in research on HIV/SIV immunotherapeutics and vaccine development. In a June 2025 presentation, Picker described studies testing the hypothesis that neutralizing antibodies given at the time of antiretroviral therapy release could delay viral rebound in SIV-infected macaques. He stated that while the antibodies significantly delayed rebound, they did not provide enhanced post-treatment viral control or a functional vaccine effect. Picker also discussed a T-cell vaccine targeting the gag protein, which he said delayed viral rebound and reduced post-treatment viral loads, suggesting a need for more aggressive T-cell vaccine approaches. Picker has also commented on the broader landscape of infectious disease research and vaccine development. In a 2021 interview, he noted that the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines was enabled by long-term investments in vaccine and gene therapy research, and he expressed support for continued and increased investment in vaccine science. He has described his work on a cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vector for HIV as showing durable efficacy in monkey models, with protection lasting over six years in some cases. Picker has stated that a human CMV vector is being developed for clinical trials through Vir Biotechnology.