HIV Vaccine?

[Gryph]

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/97/104268.htm

 

This is very interesting, some researchers in France and Brazil have concocted a vaccine that resulted in a 90% drop of HIV and halted T-cell count drop in some patients. Of course, this is just a proof of concept but this technique seems to yield the best results. Only after years of clinical testing will there more concrete results.

 

After getting three under-the-skin injections of the tailor-made vaccine, the amount of HIV in the patients' blood (called the viral load) dropped by 80%. After a year, eight of the 18 patients still had a 90% drop in HIV levels. All patients' T-cell counts stopped dropping.

 

The findings appear in the December issue of Nature Medicine.

 

"The results suggest that [these] vaccines could be a promising strategy for treating people with chronic HIV infection," Andrieu and colleagues write. "The significant decrease of viral load as well as maintenance of... [T-]cell counts observed at one year after immunization are particularly promising."

[random guy]

I thought that you couldn't cure AIDS because it's an AQUIRED DEFICIENCY.

[Gryph]

But it caused by a virus, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

[Fatal Rose]

Well this is great news. So it basically prolongs you living with aids?

[Gryph]

Well it's only been tested on a few individuals so you can't really say much. But it basically killed the HIV virus which stops it from killing for T-cells.

[Cominus]

How about something that getz rid of scabies?

[Fatal Rose]

If this ends up being what we hope it will be how much do you think it will cost for someone to get treated?

[Gryph]

If this ends up being what we hope it will be how much do you think it will cost for someone to get treated?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

A lot. These vaccines are tailor made for each individual by using their dendritic cells (instrumental in immune reactions.) The process will have to be cheap (it probably isn't and will be a long time till it is) in order to help the millions of people in the 3rd world who have it.

[Bluestinger X]

Well this is great news. So it basically prolongs you living with aids?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

i believe this treats for when u have hiv which is actully before u get aids completely... theres always been talk of if u could stop the virus at hiv then it would work... but soon as u are fully have aids its pretty much down hill from there.. unless u can find a way to avoid getting sick and stuff. I hear some people with aids can live a pretty good while as long as they keep them selfs healthy. Getting depressed and stuff speeds up the proccess of dying.

[Inky]

How about something that getz rid of scabies?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

have a problem with that do you?

[sf2_ryu]

scabies that a funny word! but anywaysthat's cool i guess

[OverlordMondo]

After a while, wouldn't the virus build immunity to the vaccine? Or would that be prevented by the fact that it's developed from an individual's cells?

[Gryph]

After a while, wouldn't the virus build immunity to the vaccine?  Or would that be prevented by the fact that it's developed from an individual's cells?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well this vaccine is derived from each person's dendritic cells so that should prevent that. The way they work (this is a basic explanation since I haven't taken immunology yet) is that these dendritic cells check for pathogens and when they find one they mature and then help activate T-cells by feeding them the antigen (a molecule that immune cells respond to) that is derived from the pathogen they attached too. This is how diseases new to your body are targetted and killed.

 

In this case, the dendritic cells taken from the patients are introduced to killed HIV virus which also taken from the patients and that creates an antigen to tell whatever T-cells are left to destroy the HIV. Curiously, the way HIV causes disease is by infecting a particular dendritic cell which then go to the lymph nodes (which is very important for the immune system) and from there they attack helper T cells.

 

I hope that didn't bore you.

Edited December 3, 2004 by GryphonKlaw

[OverlordMondo]

After a while, wouldn't the virus build immunity to the vaccine?  Or would that be prevented by the fact that it's developed from an individual's cells?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well this vaccine is derived from each person's dendritic cells so that should prevent that. The way they work (this is a basic explanation since I haven't taken immunology yet) is that these dendritic cells check for pathogens and when they find one they mature and then help activate T-cells by feeding them the antigen (a molecule that immune cells respond to) that is derived from the pathogen they attached too. This is how diseases new to your body are targetted and killed.

 

In this case, the dendritic cells taken from the patients are introduced to killed HIV virus which also taken from the patients and that creates an antigen to tell whatever T-cells are left to destroy the HIV. Curiously, the way HIV causes disease is by infecting a particular dendritic cell which then go to the lymph nodes (which is very important for the immune system) and from there they attack helper T cells.

 

I hope that didn't bore you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Still no hope for those who've already lost their T cells then...bummer...

[Gryph]

Well I don't think anyone loses all of them.