Monkey jab may open way for HIV vaccine
May 12th, 2011 - 5:59 pm ICT by IANSWashington, May 12 (IANS) A potential vaccine for non-human primates may eventually open the way for a vaccine against HIV, researchers say.
A team led by Louis Picker, associate director of the Oregon Health and Science University’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI), produced a vaccine candidate that programmes the immune system of non-human primates to respond more swiftly to the presence of a primate version of HIV than it normally would.
VGTI researchers tested their vaccine candidate in rhesus macaque monkeys using a monkey form of HIV called Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV).
Of the monkeys that received the vaccine candidate, just more than half controlled replication of the virus to the extent that even the most sensitive tests could not detect signs of SIV, the journal Nature reports.
To date, the vast majority of these animals have maintained control over the virus for more than a year, gradually losing any signs that they had ever been infected.
Conversely, the macaques in the unvaccinated control group developed the monkey form of AIDS, according to a VGTI statement.
The researchers say their work suggests that the immune responses elicited by this new vaccine candidate might completely clear SIV from animals that were initially infected.
“The next step in vaccine development is to test the vaccine candidate in clinical trials in humans,” said Picker.
- Why some monkeys are resistant to AIDS - Jun 30, 2010
- Targeting HIV in initial stages of infection may prevent virus from spreading - Feb 18, 2009
- HIV's ancestor much older than previously thought - Sep 17, 2010
- Why some monkeys don't get AIDS when infected with SIV - Dec 05, 2009
- Why humans are more sensitive than chimps to certain viruses - Dec 17, 2010
- Long history of SIV indicates HIV won't quickly become benign in humans - May 22, 2010
- New strategies proposed for AIDS vaccine research - Aug 08, 2009
- Experimental vaccine shows promise against chikungunya - Mar 05, 2010
- Monkey version of HIV older than previously believed - May 22, 2010
- New approach may pave way for effective HIV vaccine - May 18, 2009
- HIV may soon fight HIV - Feb 19, 2010
- Original HIV infection holds its sway despite numerous changes - Jun 30, 2010
- Scientists say that the precursor to the HIV was in monkeys for millennia - Sep 17, 2010
- Monkeys Had HIV For Millennia - Sep 17, 2010
- Rabies vaccine offers hope for AIDS vaccine - Dec 15, 2009
Tags: associate director, control group, gene therapy, hiv researchers, hiv vaccine, human primates, immune responses, immunodeficiency virus, journal nature, macaques, oregon health, primate, replication, rhesus macaque monkeys, science university, sensitive tests, siv, vaccine candidate, vaccine development, vgti