Health : Are we closer to a World without HIV?
Will there be a day when the world sees an end to HIV/AIDS? If so, it is most likely that a vaccine will be behind the end of HIV.
A vaccine, called SAV001, has been approved for phase 1 human clinical trials. The first phase of clinical trials will begin in January.
Since 1987 Dr. Chil-Yong Kang, a virologist at the University of Ontario, and his team, have been working this vaccine. Phase one human clinical trials have been designed to test the safety of the vaccine. If these first effots are successful the vaccine is a step closer to potentially saving millions of lives around the world by preventing HIV.
The cost for the vaccine thus far has been about 10 million dollars, if the vaccine moves beyond phase one and continues to full vaccine development, the total costs are expected to exceed 100 million dollars.
Testing of the vaccine will be done in the United States, where it is being produced.
Prior to FDA approval, SAV001 passed preliminary toxicology tests and was found to have no side effects in rats and monkeys.
The vaccine is similar to the vaccines used against polio and influenza as it uses dead HIV-1 virus that has been genetically engineered through chemicals and radiation so that it will not cause HIV infection in those that receive it.
In phase one testing 40 HIV-positive volunteers will be in injected with the vaccine to see if they have any side effects.
If the vaccine is found to be safe in phase one testing, there will be two additional phases before the vaccine can be considered effective and proceed into development.
Phase two will involve about 600 HIV-negative people that are also classified as being at ‘high risk’ for HIV. This phase will measure how the immune system of HIV-negative people responds to the vaccine and see whether their bodies make antibodies against the virus . Phase three will require 6000 HIV-negative people also considered to be at “high risk” for HIV. Half of the volunteers in phase three would be vaccinated, the other half would not. The phase three testing will determine how effective the vaccine is by comparing the vaccinate and non-vaccinated groups. Participants in phase three would be tracked for about three years to see how many become infected with HIV.
To date, about 28 million people worldwide have been killed by AIDS, with about 35 million being infected.
To hear more about the vaccine and the clinical trials check out this video for Dr. Kang:
Stephan
what about the people that are living with HIV ..is there any hope for them to become HIV Free once again and live a normal life
the government has had a cure for AIDS, but want to weed out the gay population. i really believe this.
you didnt mention one thing. aids is a death sentence, I have seen no evidence that anyone with aids has ever survived. lots are living with aids…hoping for this vaccine.
and there is a group of people who seem to be unaffected by the hiv virus. so until we change people habits, behaviors and disregard for the facts, it still is in the negative zone.
untill there is a cure theere will not be end to this
I think it will be a long while before we can have a world without HIV/AIDS. The medication currently available has been a gift from God. I have a very good friend in San Francisco that acquired AIDS about 25 years ago. He is doing remarkable well and takes proper care of himself. I know so many others that did not make it. sad.
I would like to see this happen. Many people not just Gay men have HIV. This would be a good way to end the virus and ruining innocent lives.
As far as the passing it on to other gay men. I can’t count how many times I have played bb with play safe only men. While the vaccine will end the decease It will not replace getting tested on a regular basics. I do play bb only but believe in getting tested monthly. I would hate to pass on anything because I was one lucky one that tapped you bare.
This is wonderful! Good luck to everyone invovled and the participents!
best progress we have heard about so far. glad they have kept at it
There is another vaccine I recently read about which is genetically based, instead of using dead or mutated HIV they are testing a gene that has been shown to block HIV infection in mice or rats which have been genetically altered to have human tissue in thier bodies. The ones that had the genes injected into thier bodies are totally immune to HIV for their entire lifetime after one shot. The group is supposed to start clinical human trials within a couple years and if it works they believe their vaccine may be able to eliminate HIV all together within a gengeration.
Brad: send us links and articles…
This is awesome news. I’m interested to hear more.
Has there been any word on where the trials will be held? I would definitely love to be one of the 40 in phase one to be tested!!
There have been so many advances, trials, promises, that I can’t tell where we are or whether we are actually progressing. Though this does sound promising, it sounds a lot like 10 other articles I have read within the past decade. But I will remain optomistic
there is a cure for hiv already available by pfiser they just havnt released it to the public dont know why yet tho
SpencerInCa : They would have released it dear, they would make trillions $$$$
i would so be willing to be one of the willing volunteers for phase one… anything to make the world a step closer to being hiv free
Too bad this is only a prophylactic… not a treatment. Still, it is a major progress to something that has been plaguing man kind.
i have a better idea,,use your brain,common sense and condoms, hmm what an interesting and unusual way to stop the spread of HIV,or at least put a MAJOR dent into it.
It might help to stop fucking around and look for a monogamous relationship and stop going to sauna’s and gay bars with dark rooms. That is just my idea.
Ok this news is really great…!!! But what about the millions that are already HIV positive…? Will they be treated by this or a similar medication/vaccination…?
A few years ago, 2 doctors in Houston came up with a cure for HIV. It was announced briefly on the news. Shortly there after, I could never find any info about it. HIV was created in a lab and now supports millions of dollars. Think about it. I hope for a cure soon. My status HIV NEGATIVE
I would like to be a volinteer.. i heard a while back that a vaccines was tested in asia a few years ago with a 30% success rate, which was not high enough to be used. I believe the US government creayed this virus in the cold war and tested it on monkeys and then let the monkeys go back to the jungles of Africa. blessed be the man working against this outragous creation.
the cure for hiv and aids is still education,the largest growing group contracting this illness is young african american men,the idea of a vaccine is great but educating is way more important, the less that get it,the less that die from it,im glad there are meds and drugs helping people and i wish them long lives,but we must stress educating the young
we already are! houseofnumbers.com BOTH sides presented so YOU can decide for YOURSELF instead of the brainwashing we’ve gotten for 30 years!
Wake up people! I doubt this will get posted, because I dare question the mighty orthodoxy.
This is so wonderful news I hope it work. I’m glad their is doctors who do this career because they love to help people and are not in it for the money.
I don’t think we will ever get rid of it. I think we are just learning to live with it and tolerate it.
Scott don’t be stupid…as even people in the government has been affected by this dreaded disease.
I completely agree with Gary, what of the individuals living with HIV AIDS. Everyone seems to be so elated with a possible vaccine, which is great! Dont get me wrong but this is completely causeing an oversite and leaving alot of unsolved questions for men and women with the desease. Are these people just going to be allowed to expire? there are alot of mothers, sons, daughters and fathers concerned with there lives, Many of them that did not have a choice to to molestation and rape. someone should shed some light for these people as well
There is a cure ,,,, BUT honestly stop n think how much the goverment gets in to treat this disease and how many jobs would be lost in the medical field if they provided the CURE… For those living with the illness or affected by it may you be strong and hang in there til the goverment decides to share the CURE!!!!!!!!!!!
I honestly think most of u ppl should stop listening to what eachother has to say and arguing about it and crack open a science book and read exactly what the HIV virus is. Ifu take a look at the genetic structure of the virus it is very week and is naturally mutating it’s self to death a cure will not be far behind u ppl are all so negative think about it u either have the fact that u are HIV neg to be happy about or that being HIV Poz there is hope coming for you Just saying
Here are the links to two articles regarding the gene-based HIV vaccine research I was talking about:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/lab-mice-point-way-to-hiv-vaccine/story-e6frg6so-1226210970010
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/caltech-team-offers-tantalizing-data-hiv-vaccine/2011-12-01
Here’s another link:
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/biologists-deliver-neutralizing-antibodies-protect-against-hiv-infection-mi
although i agree with tommy boy that good sexual habits and condoms are great preventitive mesures, lets remember that condoms, which provide 99 % protection from pregnancy, only provides 60ish % or even less against stds including HIV, so any other preventitive measure like a vaccine would greatly aid in stopping the spread of HIV. Also, one of the great challenges of HIV is how fast it mutates, so fast where even the same individual can have multiple mutants of the HIV, which is why drugs can stop working and you can trace it back to the person who an individual got it from, since each person will have their own unique combinations of mutants. I wonder how many types and subtypes this vaccine will encompass. Even with the vaccine it would be a great underestimation to think one vaccine would stop the spread like polio, for one thin HIV is a completely different type of virus and a second thing is that it is not as seasonal and predictale as influenza. Its a step closer, but in my opinion the vaccine is not going to be the answer, but the informtion in its developement and study will greatly aid future research and understamding.
in a way, we arent close to world without one because the actual cure sits in belgum and the sad part is that the government knows this but the sit and makes no effort to bargin. i find it sad because people lose family members behind it and there are 2 people cured from the virus in the states, but the government are so busy tryin to look out for their pockets that we as americans are dying. this is why i can’t truely say im proud to be an american.
Brad – what you are talking about is Gene therapy and has been a topic of discussion for a very long time.
There has been some success in helping protect mice with humanized immune systems from HIV infection by introducing broadly neutralizing antibodies (specifically b12 and VRC01), one at a time.
The press you saw was most likely regarding the research from Washington University School of Medicine and Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease Research.
Here is a link to an excellent article from Nature regarding HIV vaccine development that includes this topic: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7286/full/464161a.html
The article also reference the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, another group worth following for those that are interested: http://www.hivvaccineenterprise.org
Stephan
What about the people who cant afford 100 million, let alone 10 million dollars?!? This is ridiculous..
heteros started the epidemic. its the reason i lost so many friends.
There already is a cure, they have given it to Elvis for safe keeping.
dang what about the people with hiv?? it got be a cure somewhere for it, must cost alot and not willing to share!!
Can someone define the word CURE! Another prevenative mesure or “vaccine” to save the life of someone who is not infected is not what started this research (even tho it is a great break through and im greatful) This research was started to help find a CURE for this epidemic. A cure being defined as: a means of healing or restoration of health, a method or course of remedial treatment. Ect. A CURE is going to be the only resolution to this problem, a CURE is what is going to save the lives of people that are already infected a CURE is what people want.
I do not care HOW my friends leaving this world, but if someone will help ALL of us to forget about HIV+, I am ready to pay him/her a good amount of money. My respect!
there will one day be a cure, but not in our lifetime. no matter what they say or write.
we can only hope they come up with a cure, I have lost to many friends now. Good luck and may God bless all