In the world for many years is to develop a cure for HIV. But despite enormous efforts, a miracle cure could not be obtained so far. However, things can change thanks to the work of American virologists from the National Institute of Allergy and infections in Bethesda. After all, scientists have created a vaccine effective against one third of known virus strains, and, according to the researchers, this is not the limit.
As you know, HIV enters human cells with certain proteins on its surface. Then inside the cell it “resets” it so that the cell structure begin to create new copies of the virus. The problem is that the set of proteins on the surface of the virus changes with each generation, and this in turn gives the immune system to fully destroy the virus, while he captures all the new cells.
In the course of studies on the virus, scientists have identified in the blood of one of the carriers, an unusual antibody that is pretty good struggled with HIV. The researchers made copies of that antibody and forced him to act on multiple copies of the virus. Due to the fact that the antibody had penetrated into the structure, scientists were able to detect the part of the protein that attaches itself to a cell before its infection. Depriving the virus of this possibility, the scientists were able to protect healthy cells from infection. As stated by the Director of the National Institute for the study of allergies and infections in Bethesda, Anthony Fauci,
“My colleagues have found the “Achilles heel” in the structure of the human immunodeficiency virus, thereby creating new and potentially very strong vaccine. This study will be the first step towards creating a safe and really reliable methods of protection from HIV.”
During testing of a new vaccine on laboratory animals it was found that after vaccination, they were immune to 70 out of 208 strains of HIV. Now scientists are engaged in the modification of a vaccine with the aim of increasing its efficiency, and full-scale clinical trials on humans planned for the second half of 2019.
Developed a vaccine that protects against 30% of HIV strains
Vladimir Kuznetsov