HIV Vaccine Ready For Clinical Trials 385
amigoro writes with the happy news that a possible vaccine against HIV is nearing readiness for clinical trials. The compound could provide a 'double whammy' by not only inoculating the patient against future infection, but destroying an HIV infection in progress. "The vaccine is an artificial virus-like particle whose outer casing consists of the TBI (T- and B cell epitopes containing immunogen) protein constructed by the researchers combined with the polyglucin protein. This protein contains nine components stimulating different cells of the immune system: both the ones that produce antibodies and the ones that devour the newcomer."
You can participate in the clinical trials now! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:0, Informative)
Re:What are the odds? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Good For All Forms of Medicine (Score:1, Informative)
Though the HIV virus mutates and copies tend to be unique to the person who carries the virus, there are still major hallmarks to the virus. Specifically, its protein structure. That one part of the virus has not changed in all these years. That's why the vaccines target the protein structure.
Cancer is an issue because it consists of cells growing rapidly and out of control, cells from your own body, thus they are cells made out of your own DNA. Your immune system does not fight cancer because your immune system would also have to attack all other, healthy cells in your own body. It has no way of telling the difference, because... essentially, there really isn't much difference. Cells that die within normal time versus cells that don't die when they're supposed to.
The problem with cancer treatment is that often involves cutting through and out parts of our own body, hard to detect from normal cells (especially brain cancer when tumours/cancer looks exactly like your own brain's healthy matter), radiation kills your immune system and there really isn't anything that you can do to stimulate the immune system to target cancerous cells for the reason I described in the previous paragraph.
Cure or significantly effective treatment for HIV, I expect to see even within my lifetime. Cancer? I'm afraid that aside from developing better methods of detection and pretty darn effective treatment options, cancer is going to be the last thing we're ever going to be able to cure with a shot or a pill. If ever.
Re:hmm... (Score:4, Informative)
How about we begin by naming a effective vaccine that was killed by the drug companies? How about in reporting on an AIDS we link to something more persuasive than a blog? National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Ongoing HIV vaccine trials [nih.gov]
Re:Always check the article source... (Score:3, Informative)
http://pastebin.com/f406eb7f9 [pastebin.com]
Are you joking? (Score:2, Informative)
Not the first... (Score:5, Informative)
That same article mentions that there is a great degree of diversity in HIV, meaning one HIV vaccine won't protect against all strains.
Pessimistic about this... (Score:5, Informative)
While VLPs (virus-like particles) are certainly a promising vaccine technology (the cervical cancer vaccine that's been in the news recently is VLP-based), I really am pessimistic that it is the solution to the substantial problems that any working HIV vaccine would have to overcome. At this point, I don't think anything will work short of somehow granting a patient's immune system innate resistance to HIV through some kind of gene therapy approach (there actually are people working on this sort of approach, but gene therapy as a whole has a long way to go).
Re:Always check the article source... (Score:4, Informative)
The temporal continum has burped (Score:5, Informative)
Mumble mumble making a vaccine for a polymorphic virus mumble - wish I hadn't bought that company's stock...
Re:Sad.. (Score:3, Informative)
It's called abstinence.
This is not true; does the name Kimberly Bergalis ring a bell?
It is also true, of course, that the majority of infections are directly traceable to either sexual activity or IV drug use. Leaving aside the fact that a lot of people may be infected by partners to whom they're faithful and who they simply don't know are engaging in risky activity on the side
Or maybe we should accept the fact that people will eat crappy food and drink and smoke and not exercise, they will drive cars and climb mountains and walk through bad neighborhoods, and they will have sex whether anyone approves of it or not. And then deal with the results on that basis.
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:3, Informative)
i really hate that bullshit fucking myth. i don't know who started it, but their a stupid douche bag.
are you seriously suggesting drug companys are going to run out of sick people, or illnesses to treat? To prove my point, i will use the example of small pox. small pox is a lethal infection that has been wiped out in the world population through vaccinations. by your logic, drug companys would not have manufactured the vaccine to protect their profit margins.
in other words, if we wipe out HIV, there's still 1000's of incurable illnesses for them to work on not to mention new ones that will popup.
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:4, Informative)
"Claims made about the effectiveness of colloidal silver products for numerous diseases are unsupported scientifically."
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/silver/index.ht m [nih.gov]
The fact that HIV results in full blown AIDS has been known for 20+ years. it's a testable fact.
I infact whole heartedly invite you and any other pricks proclaiming that treating HIV is a waste of time to take a trip to africa and fuck a few hookers and see if colloidal silver treatments go well.
Destroys the most useful HIV test? (Score:2, Informative)
This has been one of the controversies with tuberculosis for quite awhile (where antibody-based tests are also the most efficient), where being vaccinated with a partially effective vaccine you essentially destroy the ability to easily see if you are infected or not (I believe more sensitive tests, like PCR-based tests, are required).
If this is going to be another TB vaccine, you can leave me out. I'd rather know easily if I had HIV.
Re:Woohoo! (Score:4, Informative)
That is false. I think that you mean that the first cases detected were with gay's. The first cases were shown to come from Africa and traveled around via hetro sexuals. It was seen first in the gays, because of the liberal attitudes in bath houses of the 70's and our attitudes of gays back then (most were married).
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:hmm... (Score:1, Informative)
For example, google for "stupid german money" - its an industry term in Hollywood for film investment money coming out of Germany that doesn't care if the film makes a profit.
Almost every film made in Hollywood over the last decade or so has been in part financed with stupid german money. Some more so than others (ever wonder how Uwe Boll can keep churning out crapfests?). If you look in the credits you'll almost always those "foo AG" companies listed where AG (Aktiengesellschaft) is the German equivalent of Inc.
In essence the tax laws in germany were such that even if the film lost money, the german 'investors' were guaranteed a profit due to the tax deductions. Often the more the film production lost, the greater the 'profit.' In the last 2-3 years, the loophole has been tightened somewhat, but not completely.
So, yah that's Germany and not the USA, but the principle that gargantuan loopholes exist and are often created on purpose, is valid.
Re:He who gets AIDS deserves to get AIDS... (Score:4, Informative)
Just a question, what do you think AIDS means? AIDS is not plural of AID, and thus calling it AIDs is wrong. AIDS expands to Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, so either capitalize every letter or capitalize nothing.
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:4, Informative)
- Mutation.
- Survival of the fittest.
Mutation can be caused by a number of processes, including transcription errors in mitosis, radiation, retroviral infection, etc. After mutation you have a member of a species with slightly different abilities to the others. If this difference confers a survival advantage (or, more accurately, a mating advantage), then it will be passed on a lot, and result in the majority of the species possessing the advantage.Re:hmm... (Score:3, Informative)
Then they'll have their own native factories churn out a generic at dirt cheap prices while paying the patent holder a fraction of the original asking price.
This is 100% legal under international laws/treaties.
Clinton was the one who signed TRIPS into law.
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/tripf
Brazil, South Africa, India and Thailand are all countries that have relatively recently done this... much to the USA's dissappointment.
Brazil is the 12th largest economy, but they insisted on a 60% price cut from Merck for an HIV drug (to match the price given to Thailand). Merck offered a 30% discount and Brazil forced a compulsory license the same week.
Developing countries will never become 'first world' if commercial exploitation drains them dry.
Re:You can participate in the clinical trials now! (Score:1, Informative)
Re:But what if youv got the AIDS? (Score:2, Informative)
Abstinense & religion are high risk STD groups (Score:2, Informative)
Apparently vows do break much more often than condoms.