New HIV vaccine showing striking results, researchers say

AIDS Virus under electron microscope ( file
photo) A radical new type of vaccine has
shown positive results during tests on
HIV-positive patients, bolstering
hopes of fully protecting humans from
A
IDS in the future, researchers say.
A new type of molecule, used in the
vaccine, was engineered by scientists at
the Scripps Research Institute in
California, which they claim blocks the
HIV virus from attaching to cells, the
Independent reported on Wednesday.
Usually HIV vaccination works by
provoking a response in the immune
system, but the new vaccine has a
different approach.
During experiments initially reported in
the journal Nature, the researchers
discovered that four monkeys injected
with the vaccine, which works by altering
DNA, were protected for at least 34
weeks from all types of HIV.
Even though the new vaccine still
requires human testing, experts have said
it represents an “exciting” development
in the fight against AIDS.
“We are closer than any other approach to
universal protection, but we still have
hurdles, primarily with safety for giving it
to many, many people,” said lead
researcher Professor Michael Farzan.
The researchers said they hoped to
proceed to human testing within the
year.
The search for a HIV vaccine has been
going for over 30 years with only limited
success. Scientists’ attempts to develop a
significant protective therapy have been
thwarted due to the ever-evolving nature
of the virus.