Previous research has shown that reducing antibodies to the smallest independently functional fragment effectively extends their utility as therapeutic agents.   Researchers at NCI identified the domain fragment, m36, as having the ability to very strongly inhibit multiple HIV strains.  It also provides new insights into how the virus invades the call and neutralizes the immune system.   This research was published online October 20, 2008.  Chen, W, Zhu Z, Feng Y, Dimitrov DS. Human domain antibodies to conserved sterically restricted regions on gp120 as exceptionally potent cross-reactive HIV-1 neutralizers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.