Scientists continue to develop an HIV vaccine
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
The previous year turned out to be fruitful for medical workers, who are working on the creation of medicines aimed at fighting HIV. Specialists from Spain have long worked to create an HIV vaccine and in the second half of 2012 the team of scientists began to test the invented product. According to the forecasts of workers who were engaged in this product, the vaccine should prevent the proliferation of viral cells in the affected organism and slow the spread of the virus in the blood.
Catalonian scientists conducted the first experiments in the clinic at the Medical University of Barcelona. A team of doctors developing the vaccine conducted a study on 22 HIV-infected patients. During the experiment, scientists extracted infected cells from infected patients, processed with a new drug, and then returned to the blood of patients. At the moment, the results are positive: the rate of multiplication of affected cells is noticeably reduced, the rate of virus spread is reduced by 80-90 percent. Scientists compared the results 12 weeks after the start of testing and after 24 weeks: seven patients had a stable result, the immunodeficiency virus (HIV) practically does not spread.
Scientists began working on the development of this vaccine more than 7 years ago. Analysts predict that in 3-4 years the work on the long-awaited vaccine worldwide will be fully completed, and after a while it will save the lives of many infected people.
From the Europeans do not lag behind the Japanese scientists: the team of specialists from Tokyo has been engaged in research and creation of drugs aimed at treating cancer. Now scientists say that they have managed to invent special cells that are able both to help in the treatment of cancerous tumors, and to fight HIV. The Japanese managed to convert lymphocytes (white blood cells) into stem T cells. These cells can be called artificial lymphocytes, because the body will not be able to produce them themselves.
The principle of combating cancer cells and HIV infection is that the T cells created by physicians have the ability to destroy and recognize foreign viral bodies in the body. Such a technique was known before, but due to the fact that artificial cells are very short-lived and lack the ability to reproduce in the body, it was not successful, as T-cells died before they could destroy the infection. Now doctors say that they have increased the possible life of artificial T-cells and HIV infection can be destroyed.
At the moment, scientists allow only the theoretical possibility of destroying cancerous malignant tumors and HIV infection using such a technique. On the reproduction of stem cells, testing their performance will take quite a lot of time and money. In addition, we will need to check the safety of such an experiment and determine possible side effects. In any case, the technology has moved far enough and in the near future, experts will be able to give a worthy rebuff to HIV infection.
[