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Wednesday, 01January 2003 05:30 PM GMT
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Evidence of the virus dropped
50-fold in the blood cells of macaques and 1,000-fold in
plasma.
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SIV -- the monkey form of AIDS was sharply reduced by a new experimental
vaccine although it did not eliminate the virus from the animals' blood
completely.
Monkeys that had been infected with SIV were vaccinated using dendritic
cells which had been exposed to chemically inactivated SIV. Evidence of
the virus in the blood cells of macaques dropped 50-fold and its evidence
in plasma fell 1,000-fold in the test that lasted 10 months.
The vaccine is used therapeutically and acts by promoting enhanced immune
response against the virus.
This study has opened the possibility of treating AIDS infection in humans
using a vaccine. This is not the first time scientists attempt to treat
AIDS using a vaccine. In January, researchers at Harvard University, working
on an AIDS vaccine for monkeys, reported the virus was able to overcome
their vaccine by gene mutation.
Seven of the 10 monkeys that showed response to the vaccine did not show
viral gene mutation. However, that maybe why the other 3 monkeys showed
diseases progression.
AIDS is a global pandemic that is impacting the developing world and
people of color most dramatically. Worldwide there were 33.4 million
persons estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS as of the end of 1998 of which
95% resided in developing countries.
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New England Journal of Medicine
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