Fight HIV with HIV: ‘safe’ virus proposed as vaccine – health – 19 February 2010 – New Scientist.
A company is planning to inject people with an HIV vaccine made of the deadly virus itself, albeit a deactivated version.
Vaccines against many viruses, including flu, are made from deactivated versions of those viruses, but such an approach was previously dismissed as too risky in the case of HIV.
Now VIRxSYS of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is resurrecting the controversial approach, thanks to successful tests of a similar vaccine against SIV – also known as simian HIV – in monkeys.
“We said ‘let’s use HIV against itself’, and that’s what we’re doing,” says Gary McGarrity, VIRxSYS’s vice president of scientific and clinical affairs.
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February 19, 2010 at 11:58 am
I don’t think so- not me- not ever- but hey- I have a stable relationship so no worries.
(and if my husband EVER strayed and gave me ANY STD- well he would be dead and I would be in jail getting free government health care. LOL)
February 19, 2010 at 12:55 pm
This has been in development since the late ’90′s. When Dubbya took office, he scrapped the plan and cut off R&D funding in favor of advertising his “abstinence only” approach.
The vaccine is only suitable for those who are not HIV positive and have had no exposure to the virus. What it can do is prevent a healthy person from contracting the virus. If you already test HIV positive, don’t bother – it can’t do anything.
February 19, 2010 at 1:22 pm
jeebus what good is that? I cannot imagine any healthy person being willing to risk this vaccine no matter how safe it is: there are always bad reactions to vaccines.
February 19, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Thank you for the clarification Anthony.
February 19, 2010 at 1:15 pm
This is science?
In what universe?
Oh, yeah, the good ole US of A.
Under B.O.
February 19, 2010 at 1:55 pm
And former POTUS GWB.
February 19, 2010 at 6:11 pm
My understanding is that HIV is a recombinant virus, meaning it can morph into something other that what it originally was. Deactivated or not, what will it do once inside a live body?
February 19, 2010 at 6:55 pm
That is a million dollar question rjjrdq.
February 19, 2010 at 9:08 pm
HIV is a retorvirus, which makes its pathology a little different than a plain, common garden variety virus.
Almost all organisms, including most viruses, store their genetic material on long strands of DNA. Retroviruses are the exception because their genes are composed of RNA (Ribonucleic Acid).
RNA has a very similar structure to DNA. However, small differences between the two molecules mean that HIV’s replication process is a bit more complicated than that of most other viruses.
Theoretically, this vaccine will introduce a broken strain into a healthy body. From what I understand, the ability for it to replicate is nil.
Its the same idea as a flu vaccine, just a bit more dicey. I wouldn’t go near it with a ten foot pole.
February 19, 2010 at 9:25 pm
You had me going there for a minute Anthony-I thought you were going to make a case for this thing. I wouldn’t go near it either.
February 20, 2010 at 9:04 am
Anthony, I have to wonder how this vaccine will be sold?
February 20, 2010 at 5:31 pm
remember the little girls and the HPV vaccine? Guess.