Researchers found new formula to cure HIV

News24xx.com - This is a search that has been running for nearly 40 years: finding safe and effective vaccines for HIV. Scientists, now, are "cautiously optimistic" that they are one step closer after trials of new vaccines against humans and monkeys have shown promising results.

In a study published in the journal The Lancet, the trial treatment was found to produce an anti-HIV immune response in healthy adults, and to protect monkeys against infection from viruses similar to HIV.

Lead researcher Dan Barouch, of Harvard Medical School, said the study was a "significant milestone" in HIV research, but the results should be interpreted with caution. "We are pleased with the current results ... but we cannot assume that this vaccine will work in humans," Professor Barouch told The Health Report.

To test the theory, researchers now will vaccinate 2,600 women in southern Africa who are at risk of contracting HIV. "This is just the fifth HIV vaccine concept that will be tested for its efficacy in humans in the 35-year history of the global epidemic," said Professor Barouch.

Nearly 37 million people worldwide live with HIV, with about 1.8 million new cases each year.

One of the major challenges of developing an effective HIV vaccine is the ability of the virus to mutate quickly and avoid attacks from our immune system. There are many types of HIV, and previous vaccine trials are usually limited to certain types of viruses in certain regions of the world.

However, for this study, researchers used what is called a 'mosaic' vaccine that incorporates pieces of different types of HIV viruses to obtain immune responses to different types of HIV.

 

 

 

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