U.S. experiment uses AIDS to fight AIDS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An AIDS virus genetically engineered to fight other AIDS viruses worked better than expected, suppressing the virus and renewing the immune systems of a few patients, researchers reported on Monday.

The study involved just five people, and such an approach needs years more study, they cautioned -- but the surprising results offer new hope both for the field of gene therapy and for treating the fatal and incurable AIDS virus.

"The goal of this phase I trial was safety and feasibility and the results established that," said Dr. Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who led the study.

"But the results also hint at something much more," he added.

"It seemed to have a vaccine-like effect in that the immune system was better in most of the patients than when they enrolled. We are trying to study the mechanism."

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Great news! Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of an era which dominates the African continent by AIDS.

Originally posted by Mdv2 The study involved just five people, and such an approach needs years more study, they cautioned -- but the surprising results offer new hope both for the field of gene therapy and for treating the fatal and incurable AIDS virus.

Here we go again.. '' Years more study...''

I,ve long since heard that the reason some prostitutes in eastern countries haven,t died from AIDS is because they are continually exposing their bodies to continual re-infection from other '' strains'' of the disease which attack the initial infection..

So here we are again with the miracle of science basically reflecting what is actually happening in the real world. Cannot this be taken as the preliminary research ?

No.. Instead of using this ''discovery'' to actually save people,s lives it will be smothered in the heaps of red tape used to bury such like cures and effective treatments.

Yet more $$$$$$,s will be allocated to private ''researchers'' who will only release profitable ''treatments'''.