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How did scientists approach the creation of the vaccine against HIV?
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The human immunodeficiency virus is attributed by scientists to the family of retroviruses (Retroviridae). Against the background of HIV infection, a terrible disease can develop - AIDS. For a long time in all countries of the world is developing a vaccine that will help save millions of people from HIV infection.
Scientists from the United States of America managed to transplant cells of the human immune system to a group of mice. As a result of the experiment, the immune system of mice began to work on the principle of the immune background of a person.
This can be called a breakthrough in the field of creating a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus. Now scientists have the opportunity not only to create a vaccine, but also to test it.
The human immunodeficiency virus has a clinical similarity with the monkey immunodeficiency virus (SIV). But at the same time, there are many functional differences, so the vaccine tested in monkeys will not necessarily affect the same person.
When creating a vaccine, scientists have to solve many tasks, the most important of them is to understand how the virus fights the immune system and why immunity always loses this fight.
Before the study, scientists deprived mice of the immune system, transplanted the human bone marrow and a number of tissues that are not specifically specified. Researchers claim that the body of mice began to produce antibodies that can fight with various diseases.
In this way, mice can be infected with HIV and start full-scale studies of the disease, as well as look for effective ways to prevent HIV.
The problem of creating an HIV vaccine was that scientists for a long time could not understand the ways of virus progression in the body and the mechanisms of suppression of immunity. Studies in animals were impossible, since they are not exposed to HIV. On a man, studies were not carried out for obvious reasons. That's why the vaccine has not been created yet.
Professor of the University of Massachusetts Tod Allen noted that at present scientists from all over the world will have the opportunity to conduct more extensive work on the development of an HIV vaccine.
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