Comments on: Will we ever have an HIV vaccine?

By: Lin

Lin — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:47:27 +0000

How do microbe-killing gels affect HIV infection?

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:15:53 +0000

Last year Scientists in La Jolla discovered a compound (LJ001) that kills all Envelope viruses without damaging the host cell this compound could lead to a broad spectrum anti viral drug, since that discovery there has not been 1 mention of this compound anywhere and doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar, I wonder why?

By: Noah

Noah — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:19:25 +0000

From an HIV vaccine researchers perspective: Recent successes give hope that a vaccine is possible, and provide clues as to how we can build on that success. However, it will require us to dissect the mechanisms of how our vaccines work and to understand what immune responses will actually protect from HIV-1 infection (such as neutralizing antibodies). We now know that if neutralizing antibodies are present prior to exposure to HIV-1, they can provide protection from infection. As the article mentions, broadly neutralizing antibodies occur naturally in some HIV-1 infected subjects, providing hope that if we understood how such subjects were able to develop them, we could learn how to elicit such antibodies by vaccination. At Seattle BioMed, the Stamatatos Lab has been on the forefront of broadly neutralizing antibodies for many years, conducting one of the first large scale studies designed to understand how such antibodies are developed (Sather et al., 2009. J. Virology). Since then, we have continued to lead the field, making discoveries about the timing of when these antibodies are developed and characterizing the state of the immune system when they begin to emerge (Mikell, et al., 2011. PLoS Pathogens). Coupled with our advances in HIV-1 immunogen design, these discoveries have provided a foundation of understanding that allows us to continue to produce and evaluate pre-clinical HIV-1 vaccine candidates that are designed to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. Those who dedicate their lives to the eradication of HIV-1 recognize that success will not come quickly and easily, but will come from innovation, foreward thinking, and strong science. So, will we ever have an HIV-1 vaccine? Researchers at Seattle BioMed respond to that question every day with a resounding: YES!!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:50:31 +0000

I haven’t heard any news since last summer, but a company called Koronis is seeing results in using the virus’ tendency to mutate against it. Instead of trying to block transcription, they encourage it and introduce multiple errors that mutate the virus to death, so to speak. I’m not directly in the field, but with something this promising as a potential CURE, it surprises me that we’re not hearing more about it.
http://www.koronispharma.com/clinicaltrials.html

By: Darrel

Darrel — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:53:43 +0000

I met Dr. Don Francis when I worked at Vaxgen and still fondly recall his passionate energy. He had the Joseph Campbell quote “Joyful participation in the sorrows of the world. ”
hand written in script and pinned to his wall. I am thankful for men such as him that devote their life solving to these complex problems.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:02:49 +0000

@Joe and Oli – While I appreciate the comments, this piece was not about whether we’ll beat the HIV epidemic. It was specifically about the vaccine. Yes, other measures are important, and I tried to hint towards that in the penultimate paragraph, but ultimately, they would be the subject of a different article. It’s tough enough to get the details of the vaccine quest down in 1,200 words without also branching out into other measures.

By: oli

oli — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:40:22 +0000

Echoing Joe’s comment, something that isn’t mentioned in this article is the phenomenal effect that cheaper, more accessible ARV drugs have had. Although they aren’t a ‘cure’, they make the HIV virus a chronic, manageable illness rather than being quickly fatal and dramatically reducing transmission risks. For all George Bush’s other political failings, he deserves credit for his President’s Emergency Plan for Aid Relief which has saved countless of lives by making these drugs available to millions of HIV victims.

By: Joe Beckmann

Joe Beckmann — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:53:02 +0000

It is a travesty that you describe the vaccine failure without describing the success of PEP and PrEP. Nor do you bother to mention the impact of rapid treatment on dramatic reductions in infectivity, resulting in sharp declines in “community infectivity.” They prove – if anybody looks at it – highly successful means to curbing the epidemic, even if they fail to create antibodies. Stopping and preventing the spread of the virus cures the epidemic, if not the disease itself, and the rapid decline in new cases where universal health care is available and promoted – Massachusetts and British Columbia particularly, but also New York and San Francisco – underscore how HIV is a “community health” concern rather than merely 1:1 random infections. If you can stop infectivity – which we now can – we’ve created a “community vaccine” without vaccinating everybody.

By: Tony Mach

Tony Mach — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:09:10 +0000

That virus that Heckler announced as the probable cause of AIDS was HTLV-III (“a true member of the HTLV family”) which was supposedly identified by Robert Gallo (with supposed – but actually non-existant – 48 isolates). The actual cause of AIDS was called LAV back then (which was later renamed HIV-1) which was identified by Montagnier and Barre-Sinoussi – hence the reason these two got the Nobel and not Gallo. So no, she was not correct, on either accounts.