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Steve

This is the first time that a vaccine trial has used more than one "epitope" in producing protective immunity. No virus has challenged us like HIV. Previously, most vaccines contained only one "fragment" of the invader. The invaders were pretty stable, most being DNA Viruses. HIV is a segmented RNA retrovirus. NO successful vaccine has been produced against this type. But wait, this vaccine trial used two "epitopes" to mount a protective immune response. Could it be that a polyvalent vaccine targeting multiple sites on the HIV virus warrant a closer look. What if the researchers at NIH funded a study to look at a vaccine that targets 3-5 different parts of the HIV virus. And another thought. What about a profilactic vaccine to treat those already infected. The last and only vaccine tested in this fashion was Remmune, produced by Dr. Salk, the maker of the polio vaccine. I'm confident that no one has thought to test any of these "failed" vaccines in HIV positive people.

September 30, 2009

Diane

Thank you for this. From the moment I saw the news headlines and wanted to know what your take of the "breakthrough" was. :)My suspicions as to why I shouldn't be so excited were pretty much right.

September 28, 2009