There seem to be a lot of moving goal posts with respect to the HIV vaccine. It was first promised in the late '80s. Then Bill Clinton set a goal of developing one by 2008. Here we are in 2008, and the posts are being pulled down altogether and the mission is being redefined. Is this just evidence of how complex an adversary we're dealing with in HIV?
I think all of those predictions of time frames really reflect an innocent but unintentional lack of appreciation for how unique and different HIV is. Margaret Heckler [former congresswoman (R–Mass.)], who way back when the virus was discovered, in a press conference, said we should be well into a vaccine trial within two years and maybe have a vaccine soon thereafter; and President Clinton saying the goal would be to have a vaccine in 10 years—all this was really predicated on how we look at vaccines in the standard, classical way.
But, HIV can't be tamed by classical methods?
This is the critical issue. If people understand this, they'll really get it. That is: How extraordinarily unique and different HIV is.
When you're setting out to develop a vaccine, you generally use natural infection as your model, or, put a different way, as your experiment of nature. Regardless of what microbe or virus you're dealing with—even the deadly ones like smallpox and the maiming ones like measles and polio—the majority of people, and sometimes the overwhelmingly vast majority of people, may get sick and then ultimately get better. They don't die and they don't have any lasting remnants of the infection. What happens is that the body adequately and appropriately ultimately eliminates the virus and provides you with lasting protection against subsequent challenges [from that virus].
So, if you're going to go and try to develop a vaccine for microbe X, you only need to…look at what the body's natural response is and vaccinate the person with either a modified form of the virus or a subcomponent of the virus that will elicit that same antibody response or that same cell-mediated immune response, which you are certain is associated with protection because you have many many examples of the natural infection to show that. So, you already have your road map of what you need to get to get a vaccine.
But, the body's natural response is different with HIV?
Astoundingly, of the tens of millions of people who have been infected, there's not a single documented case of someone who has established infection and ultimately eradicates the virus from the body. There are a number of people who are what we call "long-term nonprogressors"—for one reason or another, perhaps their genetic makeup, they seem to handle the virus reasonably well for a long period of time. For the overwhelming majority of people, the virus ultimately overcomes their immune system's attempts to curtail the virus. So, we are dealing with a situation where we don't even know if the body is capable of eliciting a protective immune response. And if it can, we know it's very difficult, because when you look at infected people, it is so unusual to see people with very good, broadly reacting neutralizing antibodies. So, when you go after developing a vaccine for HIV, you're in an entirely different ballpark than you are when you're trying to develop a vaccine for influenza or smallpox or polio or measles.
We as a field didn't fully appreciate that early on, as a matter of fact. That's the reason why it would be an understandable statement, though now retrospectively clearly premature, to say, "Okay, we have the virus in our hand, we are growing it, we know what it is. It should be a snap to develop a vaccine." Now we know that this just is not the case, so our challenge for the future is to do much better than what natural infection does because natural infection clearly is not successful in inducing an ultimately protective response.
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Add CommentAmiable readers, to maintain the fidelity we published the article in the original language.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLas vacunas son una preparación de antígenos que se inyectan en el cuerpo y generan una respuesta de ataque por medio de los anticuerpos que contribuyen a ponerle fin a algún virus o bacteria. Una vez que han sido suministradas en el organismo generan lo que se conoce por memoria inmunológica por lo que, en la mayoría de los casos, vuelven inmune a la persona a esa enfermedad determinada.La inoculación cuenta con antecedentes en China y Turquía, pero la primera vacuna como tal fue inventada, en 1796, por un médico rural inglés llamado Edward Jenner que dio con una forma para combatir la epidemia de la viruela. Jenner, observó que las mujeres que trabajaban ordeñando las vacas contraían una enfermedad que era conocida como la viruela de las vacas, sin embargo, ésta las hacía inmunes a la viruela humana. Así, sacó una muestra de leche de vaca de la mano de una de las granjeras y la inyectó en el brazo de un niño. Éste sufrió los síntomas de la viruela vacuna. Cuarenta y ocho días después, cuando ya no quedaban rastros de la enfermedad, le inyectó una muestra de la viruela humana y éste no padeció ningún síntoma del mal. Basados en esta observación, nosotros planteamos la siguiente hipótesis: las cucarachas son los insectos sobrevivientes más antiguos sobre la faz de la tierra, por su carga atómica que poseen han podido sobrevivir a grandes cataclismos y fenómenos atmosféricos, así también, las terribles bombas atómicas creadas por el hombre.
Existes miles de variedades de cucarachas, pero específicamente las cucarachas que viven en las alcantarillas y se alimentan de los residuos vaginales, el semen, las heces fecales y los excrementos. Estas han logrado sobrevivir, son inmunes y son portadoras del virus del sida. De igual manera como Edgard Jenner, hizo su investigación se hará es mismo procedimiento. Queremos decir hay que aumentar la capacidad inmune del cuerpo humano, aumentar los anticuerpos para poder resistir y convivir con el VIH/Sida. Cuando el cuerpo recibe esta dosis de virus o bacterias, el sistema inmunológico se pone en alerta y destruye a estos agentes que le son extraños al organismo. Así, cuando una dosis realmente dañina decide atacar, el cuerpo ya se encuentra preparado para reconocerla y atacarla rápidamente. Edward Jenner nació el 17 de mayo de 1749 en Berkeley, condado de Gloucester, Inglaterra y falleció un 26 de enero de 1823 en la propia localidad de Berkeley. Fue un afamado
investigador, médico y poeta.
Amiable Readers, the proteins of the cockroach are the solution for the vaccine of AIDS. The director of the NIAID, Dr. Anthony Fausi, must initiate the investigation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are many natural ways to rid your body of HIV. In contrast with the traditional antiviral cocktails of medicine today, which cost thousands, have severe side effects, and comes with the double edged sword delema,meaning if the virus doesn’t kill you the cocktails will, this medicine is all natural.Please visit this site for the full information about this subject……http://pushgood-nomorehiv.blogspot.com/
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI read a testimoney that coconut milk can stop AIDS; monolaurine can be purchased as the nutrient found in the coconut milk.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere was a doctor from India that said he stopped the AIDS virus with a mixture of spices. I read the abstract about 7 years ago; it is on medline. I vaguely remember he called the mixture with a word that begins with "K". And what about Safi sold in East Indian grocery stores. There are so many foods that support the immune system, why do they not talk too much about them?
I read a testimoney that someone was healed of AIDS with coconut milk; monlaurine is a nutrient from that food that can be purchased from the health food stores.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, I read an abstract of a study that a doctor from India stopped the sickness with some spice mixture that began with a "K" about 7 reads ago I read it. What about Safi? Can be purchased in an East Indian grocery store. So many foods support the immune system. Why is not diet mentioned more?