Interferon-Linked Protein Key to HIV Vaccine

This is a pretty novel way that an AIDS vaccine could be manufactured. The outside of the box apprach may be the key to developing a vaccine for this disease.

FRIDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say a newly discovered cellular pathway could pave the way for a new type of vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

According to background information, disease progression after HIV infection is associated with the decreased presence of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), major producers of an immune protein called type 1 interferon. According to researchers at New York University (NYU), high numbers of pDCs are related to successful control of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The new study, published in the Oct. 13 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, outlines the mechanisms by which HIV-1 activates human pDCs. This activation requires at least two interactions between the HIV and pDCs, the NYU team explains.

The study noted that a decrease of blood pDC is frequently observed in chronic infections suffered by people with HIV. This decrease of blood pDC correlates with high viral load, reduced CD4 counts and susceptibility to opportunistic infections.
Interferon-Linked Protein Key to HIV Vaccine

This is great news. I am really worried about the current aids vaccine that is being worked on, i beleive its called 'AIDSVAX'. I think they are hoping for about a rate of only 40% of people that get vaccinated, actually being protected against aids. That is a pretty low % and i worry about the possibility for the virus to mutate in anyone in that 60% that gets infected.

Thanks for posting. I hope this can lead to some sort of new treatment (or god forbid a cure)

I was watching a special on the Black Plague and it's DNA mutating properties amongst ancestors of survivors. The villiages in England that were affected had kept very accurate logs on who was infected, and who had died. Turns out not everyone perished who was infected. This in turn passed on a gene that had completely mutated causing a resistance naturally to the HIV virus. They had taken samples of tissues and blood from each of these ancestors, and found that no matter how many times they tried to culture the virus, it wound up dying. It seems as if they could manipulate this gene somehow, this would be the key to actually ending this virus. Although, my theories suggest(Especially after a scientist who had found a cure for it had been killed in a car crash,) That maybe this isn't meant to be cured.

why would they want to cure something they made in the first place?

Originally posted by grimreaper797
why would they want to cure something they made in the first place?

As Eddie Murphy said in"Coming To America" AHHHAAA!