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How have scientists gotten closer to creating an HIV vaccine?
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The human immunodeficiency virus is classified by scientists as a family of retroviruses (Retroviridae). HIV infection can lead to a terrible disease – AIDS. For a long time, all countries of the world have been developing a vaccine that will help save millions of people from HIV infection.
Scientists from the United States of America have managed to transplant human immune system cells into a group of mice. As a result of the experiment, the mice's immune system began to function on the principle of the human immune background.
This can be called a breakthrough in the field of creating a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus. At present, scientists have the opportunity not only to create a vaccine, but also to test it.
Human immunodeficiency virus has clinical similarities with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). However, there are many functional differences, so a vaccine tested in monkeys will not necessarily have the same effect on humans.
When creating a vaccine, scientists have to solve many problems, the most important of which is to understand how the virus fights the immune system and why the immune system always loses this fight.
Before conducting the study, the scientists deprived the mice of their immune system, transplanted human bone marrow and a number of tissues, which were not specified. The researchers claim that the mice's bodies began to produce antibodies capable of fighting various diseases.
In this way, mice can be infected with HIV and full-scale research into the disease can begin, as well as finding effective ways to prevent HIV.
The problem with creating an HIV vaccine was that scientists had long been unable to understand the ways in which the virus progresses in the body and the mechanisms of immune suppression. It was impossible to conduct studies on animals, since they are not susceptible to HIV. Studies on humans were not conducted for obvious reasons. That is why a vaccine has not yet been created.
Massachusetts State University professor Todd Allen noted that scientists around the world will now have the opportunity to conduct larger-scale work to develop an HIV vaccine.
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