Before this finding only four antibodies to HIV had been discovered that were widely agreed to be broadly neutralising. However, all four worked by binding to a place on HIV that has proven difficult for vaccine-makers to exploit

The latest duo are potentially much more useful because they bind to the virus at sites which scientists believe are more accessible.

Keith Alcorn, of the HIV information service NAM, said: “Identifying antibodies that act against a broad range of HIV types will be critical for the development of an effective vaccine.
“We need to remember that this is an early stage of research.
“HIV vaccine research will be a long-term effort and we certainly shouldn’t expect these findings to lead to a vaccine in a few years.
“A lot more work on antibodies and vaccine design is going to be needed to come up with vaccines that can be put into clinical trials.”
The IAVI team joined forces with the Scripps Research Institute, and the biotechnology companies Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences on the project.