HIV vaccine prompts antibodies in 97% of recipients

Thirty-six of the participants were given either two low or two high doses of the injected vaccine, administered two months apart. The remaining 12 volunteers, acting as the control group, received a saline solution.

After the injections, all the participants regularly provided blood samples for 16 weeks. Of those who received either the low or high vaccine doses, 97 per cent had HIV-specific broadly neutralising antibodies at the end of the study. Antibody levels were similar across the participants who received either the high or low vaccine doses, but marginally higher among those who had the high doses.

Among the 12 participants who received a saline solution, two had HIV antibodies at the end of the study. Why this occurred is not entirely clear. These participants may have had some natural immunity against the virus.

Across all the participants, including those given the saline solution, 98 per cent experienced mild side effects, such as fatigue, headaches and tenderness at the site of injection.

“This paper described the best B-cell immune response from vaccination against HIV I have seen,” says Gary Kobinger at the University of Texas. “It is thus technically cutting edge in addition to pursuing a completely novel approach to vaccination.”

However, the vaccine hasn’t yet been shown to protect against HIV infection, says Kobinger. Also, based on the level of antibodies generated, more than two doses would probably be needed to prevent infection, he says.

Nevertheless, fine-tuning this approach could help in the development of vaccines against other fast-mutating viruses, such as influenza and dengue.

“If ever this works, it would be a new tool in the arsenal of vaccinologists to counter viruses with high mutation rates,” says Kobinger.

This thread will end in tears.

A COVID vaccine could be developed in months but it takes over 40 years to develop an AIDS vaccine? 💉

Covid vaccine prompts antibodies against Covid, and we know the vaccine hasn't stopped people from getting it. If an HIV vaccine still allows infection, it probably wouldn't be cleared like Covid is.

I am hopeful. But 40 years without a cure tells me otherwise.

R3 The Covid vaccine was the first time mRNA technology had ever been used.

So??

I never thought I’d live long enough to see a headline such as this. From those first days of pix posted in drug store windows on Castro in San Francisco to the years of gruesome horrific deaths.

What pix? Dick pix?

Pix of KS.

What’s KS? Kansas?

R11 = Go away. This subject matter isn't funny and neither are you.

[quote]It is unclear whether the vaccine protects against HIV.

Seems the most pertinent part of the article, no?

r8, yep. I was here then, too. By 1986, I'd switched fields to become an immunology scientist at UCSF, and worked on a vaccine/immunotherapy for 7 years with no luck, so this headline seems encouraging, but details of the study from this news report about it are vague.

All vaccines seek to enhance B-cell responses because B-cells are the cell type that produce antibodies. The HIV coat protein gp120 has been used as a vaccine in numerous studies over the years, so I can't tell from this news report what's unique about this approach.

Will try to find the actual paper and look into it further this weekend.

OP, thanks for posting this.