This testing has been earlier conducted in monkeys with positive results.
Advertisement
A vaccine that seeks to cure acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, will undergo its first human trial, 15 years since it was developed.
Science Alert reports AIDS is notoriously hard to fight because the HIV virus hides in the body’s T-cells and turns the immune system against the body.
While there have been a few promising vaccine candidates in the past, they encounter a stumbling block because HIV directly infects white blood cells called T-cells. However, the researchers say that a major challenge has been the inability to stimulate broadly neutralizing antibodies that are able to deal with the enormous variability of HIV. As the HIV-swarm struggled to evade these potent early antibodies, it toggled through many mutations in its surface protein.
As reported in the news release of Science, gp120 first attaches to the CD4 receptor on T-cells and modifies its conformation so that the hidden parts of the virus will get exposed. The research was spearheaded by Robert Gallo, the pioneer who proved in 1984 that HIV is the root cause of the disease.
But what is unique in this new vaccine is that it contains a version of HIV’s surface protein, known as gp120. The vaccine triggers antibodies against gp120 when it’s already attached to CD4 and is in its vulnerable transitional state, effectively stopping it from attaching to the second CCR5 attachment.
“Was anything a lack of courage?” It is being held in collaboration with Profectus BioSciences, a biotech that recently spun off from IHV.
The vaccine development team is being led by George Lewis with IHV, and includes Antonio DeVico and Timothy Fouts.
Advertisement
But the researcher also acknowledged that he and his team took more time to bring the vaccine to trial because “We wanted more and more answers before going into people”. According to the Baltimore Sun, only one study-in 2009 in Thailand-came close to being effective enough for widespread use, and that only protected one-third of patients.
