[/caption]AIDS have killed millions and it is reported that some 33 million are living with the HIV virus. But there is hope that there is an HIV vaccine on the horizon.
AOL News is reporting that American scientists are giddy over the discovery of two proteins, which have neutralized 91% of the 190 strains of HIV.
These proteins were provided by Donor 45, an anonymous African American male who produced the antibodies known as VRC01 and VRC02.
The researchers have identified12 cells in the patient’s body that made the proteins; if they can reproduce the process, an HIV vaccine is on the near horizon.
Gary Nabel, leader of the researchers, tempered expectations by telling the Wall Street Journal that he and his fellow researches will be working the problem for quite a while.
Scientists will have to take a portion of the virus and trick the body into producing VCR01 and VCR02.
In the past, the researchers were frustrated because the HIV vaccines were only effective against one or two strains of the disease.
Case in point, trials of the first HIV vaccine, AIDSVAX, were disappointing, as the success threshold only reached 30% of those who were infected, meaning seven out of every ten HIV infected patients were not being cured.
This discovery of the VRC01 and VRC02 proteins is a vast improvement over anything out there, because of there if a 91% efficacy against the 190 strains of HIV. The 190 strains of the HIV virus underscore what researchers are up against, because a full cure will have to combat all these strains.
But the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I hope this news starts the final journey, which will finally speak of HIV like we do about polio and small pox.
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