New HIV/AIDS Vaccine - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

K-Wise · 01-25-2005, 08:25 PM

Don't think this has been posted yet...sorry no link

Quote:

NEWARK, N.J. - A potential HIV/AIDS vaccine developed by Merck & Co. that uses synthetic genes to prepare cells to fight the deadly virus is moving into the second stage of testing.

An approved vaccine would be about a decade away if the trial and a third study are successful, said officials with the international coalition that is collaborating on the work.

"It is the most promising candidate that we've seen so far," said Sarah B. Alexander, associate director of the coalition, known as the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, or HVTN. She cautioned, however, "something better could come along tomorrow."

Volunteers began enrolling last month for the Phase II study, which will eventually give the potential vaccine's three doses to 1,500 people in North and South America, the Caribbean and Australia, the network and Whitehouse Station-based drug maker announced Monday.

The study is using
male and female volunteers aged 18 to 45 of diverse racial groups who are at high risk for contracting HIV. Participants will receive counseling about how to reduce their risk of HIV infection, Alexander said.

About a dozen companies and organizations worldwide are attempting to develop an AIDS vaccine. Of the 10 associated with HVTN, the Merck candidate is the first to reach Phase II testing, Alexander said.
Of the two that reached Phase III, the final stage before certification is sought, one was deemed unsuccessful in 2000, and another, led by the U.S. Department of Defense, is enrolling volunteers, she said.

The Merck candidate - the MRKAd5 HIV-1 gag/pol/nef, or trivalent, vaccine - is designed to persuade the defenders of each cell, called "killer T cells," to attack HIV when the virus enters the cell. Other vaccines generate an antibody response.

The potential vaccine uses the virus of a common cold, modified so it cannot reproduce or cause people to catch a cold, to transport three synthetically produced HIV genes to the cells.

"We give the body enough of the virus so it can recognize it and create an immune response," but not enough to infect a person, Alexander said.
The Phase I study of the possible vaccine, involving about 1,000 people, "generated strong and cellular immune responses against HIV," Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore said.

Seattle-based HVTN is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and comprises more than 25 research institutions worldwide.

Asta!!

K-Wise · 01-25-2005, 08:30 PM

Well what do you think of this? Kinda like a flu shot.

Asta!!

Fire · 01-25-2005, 09:08 PM

given the remarkable number of people being infected each year, especialy in third world nations, it seems like a godsend- if it works it could make the world a much better place- and if they can beat something as tricky as aids, then it bodes well for medical advancement in general.....

pinkie · 01-25-2005, 09:13 PM

Sounds awesome, I hope it's real!

Craven Morehead · 01-25-2005, 10:33 PM

Still a decade away. I wonder if there is anyway to expidite the testing/approval process.

If it is successful, should it become mandatory for all newborns, much like polio vaccinations are?

I say yes. And anyone else that wants it.

Lets all hope this is the answer.

vorpal_rabbit · 01-25-2005, 10:41 PM

An interesting concept. I hope it works out. If not, well... There are other avenues to pursue.

jorgelito · 01-25-2005, 10:41 PM

Prevention is still the best "medicine".

MageB420666 · 01-26-2005, 06:29 AM

That's sounds really cool, it would be great to get rid of aids, my one question is: "Is this supposed to be a cure for it, or a preventative vaccine that just creates an immunity if you don't already have the disease?"

I can't wait until someone figures out how to cure the most deadly disease of all, aging.

he_haha · 01-26-2005, 07:41 AM

A decade away, but better than never

ratbastid · 01-26-2005, 09:42 AM

Man, if you can't get laid the day that's on the market, just give up!

drakers · 01-26-2005, 11:07 AM

It is still going to be a long time before it is in the market and tested as being safe for public use.

VitaminH · 01-26-2005, 11:21 AM

Don't get your hopes up. They've been trying AIDS vaccinnes for a long time, and none of them have worked yet. Although they are calling this the most promising one yet. Still, HIV is a fast mutating virus, and it adapts rapidly. Thats why when you contract HIV you have to be on multiple drugs and it still eventually devlops resistance to all of them. Look at the common cold, it's been around a lot longer and we still can't cure that, the HIV virus is similar in how fast it mutates.

Jonsgirl · 01-26-2005, 11:33 AM

VitaminH touched on this, but here was my question:
HIV/AID is a fast mutating virus, but the vaccine won't be ready (for the strains we see today) for at least another decade. How can they know that this will work on the strains we see two or three years from now, much less ten?

K-Wise · 01-27-2005, 06:10 AM

^ See I was thinking the same thing and another thing kinda came to my attention last night as I was watching "Outbreak" it was the scene in the movie where Spoiler: the med tech is spinning the bloods and they all shatter mixing the motaba with what to my knowledge was the flu virus and the motaba virus mutated after coming in contact with the influenza and thus became an airborn virus like the flu. Now my question is is it possible that if they add the small bits of HIV to the common cold virus that it could mutate and create a new strain of HIV/AIDS thats a hell of a lot more contagious? Or is that just something that happened in the movie but isn't really practical in real life? Kind of a stupid question I know but I was just wondering if that was a possibility.

Asta!!

portereight · 01-27-2005, 09:01 AM

I used to work in a hospital where there were a number of people doing cancer research. My job was to assess how computers could help them automate some of the drudgery (this was the mid '80's computers were still a novelty to a surprising number of scientists).
Many days during lunch meetings these guys would be shooting the shit about their work and it always struck me how easy it seemed to kill cancer cells. One day I had that thought out loud, and it was explained to me that many diseases such as cancer and most viruses such as HIV/aids are fairly fragile in the grand scheme of things. One of the problems researchers had to deal with was that it sometimes a little too easy to kill things in a laboratory setting, only to find no measurable effect in clinical trial.
You really must have a certain mindset to devote that much time (in some cases years) only to find out you were heading down a blind alley. Then you simply start all over again.

reiii · 01-27-2005, 10:17 AM

Some additional information:

Quote:

NYU School of Medicine
Vaccine Study Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is this study being done? This study tests the safety of an experimental preventive HIV vaccine (a vaccine that may one day prevent HIV infection) among HIV-negative people. The study also will look at how well people's immune systems respond to the vaccine (this is called "immunogenicity"). Two types of vaccines are used in the study: one is called the "MRK Adenovirus Serotype 5 HIV-1 gag/pol/nef vaccine" and the other is called the "MRK Adenovirus Serotype 5 HIV-1 gag vaccine." Different dose levels of the vaccine will be tested in this study. The vaccines are made of an adenovirus (a common virus that causes colds and sore throats) that has been changed to contain man-made copies of genes from HIV. When the vaccine is injected, it may cause your body to make proteins that look like they came from HIV. These proteins may help your body make an infection-fighting response against HIV-1. The vaccine does NOT contain live HIV. You cannot get HIV infection or AIDS by receiving this vaccine. The study vaccine is investigational. This means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies will allow the experimental vaccine to be used only in carefully watched research studies.

http://www.hivinfosource.org/clinical/vaccineFAQ.pdf

I believe this came from an informational pamphlet for interested participants

Powderedmaggot · 01-27-2005, 10:46 AM

Cool, but at this point in my life I'm more worried about cancer.

K-Wise · 01-28-2005, 04:31 PM

^ Yeah I hear ya but we gotta take our epidemics one at a time I guess. Cancer is probably much harder to kill.

Asta!!

01-25-2005, 08:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
K-Wise It's All About The Ass!! Location: In a pool of mayonnaise!!	Well what do you think of this? Kinda like a flu shot. Asta!! __________________ "I love music and it's my parents fault (closing statement)." - Me..quoting myself...from when I said that...On TFP..thats here...Tilted Forum Project *It ain't goodbye, it's see ya later! I'll miss you guys!* - Asta!!

01-25-2005, 09:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
Fire Warrior Smith Location: missouri	given the remarkable number of people being infected each year, especialy in third world nations, it seems like a godsend- if it works it could make the world a much better place- and if they can beat something as tricky as aids, then it bodes well for medical advancement in general..... __________________ Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens

01-25-2005, 10:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
vorpal_rabbit Upright Location: Athens, Ga	An interesting concept. I hope it works out. If not, well... There are other avenues to pursue. __________________ The door flew open. A Mongol warrior surged into the hut like a savage wind. Two children ran screaming to their mother who was cowering wide eyed in the corner of the tiny room. A dog yelped. The warrior hurled his torch on to the still glowing fire, and then threw the dog on to it. That would teach it to be a dog.

01-26-2005, 06:29 AM	#8 (permalink)
MageB420666 <Insert wise statement here> Location: Hell if I know	That's sounds really cool, it would be great to get rid of aids, my one question is: "Is this supposed to be a cure for it, or a preventative vaccine that just creates an immunity if you don't already have the disease?" I can't wait until someone figures out how to cure the most deadly disease of all, aging. __________________ Apathy: The best outlook this side of I don't give a damn.

01-26-2005, 11:21 AM	#12 (permalink)
VitaminH An embarrassment to myself and those around me... Location: Pants	Don't get your hopes up. They've been trying AIDS vaccinnes for a long time, and none of them have worked yet. Although they are calling this the most promising one yet. Still, HIV is a fast mutating virus, and it adapts rapidly. Thats why when you contract HIV you have to be on multiple drugs and it still eventually devlops resistance to all of them. Look at the common cold, it's been around a lot longer and we still can't cure that, the HIV virus is similar in how fast it mutates. __________________ "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." - Napoleon Bonaparte

01-25-2005, 09:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
pinkie Helplessly hoping Location: Above the stars	Sounds awesome, I hope it's real!

01-25-2005, 10:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	Still a decade away. I wonder if there is anyway to expidite the testing/approval process. If it is successful, should it become mandatory for all newborns, much like polio vaccinations are? I say yes. And anyone else that wants it. Lets all hope this is the answer.

01-25-2005, 10:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
jorgelito All important elusive independent swing voter... Location: People's Republic of KKKalifornia	Prevention is still the best "medicine".

01-26-2005, 07:41 AM	#9 (permalink)
he_haha Tilted Location: NC	A decade away, but better than never

01-26-2005, 09:42 AM	#10 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	Man, if you can't get laid the day that's on the market, just give up!

01-26-2005, 11:07 AM	#11 (permalink)
drakers Psycho Location: IOWA	It is still going to be a long time before it is in the market and tested as being safe for public use.

01-26-2005, 11:33 AM	#13 (permalink)
Jonsgirl Semi-Atomic Location: Home.	VitaminH touched on this, but here was my question: HIV/AID is a fast mutating virus, but the vaccine won't be ready (for the strains we see today) for at least another decade. How can they know that this will work on the strains we see two or three years from now, much less ten? __________________ Someday, someone will best me. But it won't be today, and it won't be you.

01-27-2005, 06:10 AM	#14 (permalink)
K-Wise It's All About The Ass!! Location: In a pool of mayonnaise!!	^ See I was thinking the same thing and another thing kinda came to my attention last night as I was watching "Outbreak" it was the scene in the movie where Spoiler: the med tech is spinning the bloods and they all shatter mixing the motaba with what to my knowledge was the flu virus and the motaba virus mutated after coming in contact with the influenza and thus became an airborn virus like the flu. Now my question is is it possible that if they add the small bits of HIV to the common cold virus that it could mutate and create a new strain of HIV/AIDS thats a hell of a lot more contagious? Or is that just something that happened in the movie but isn't really practical in real life? Kind of a stupid question I know but I was just wondering if that was a possibility. Asta!! __________________ "I love music and it's my parents fault (closing statement)." - Me..quoting myself...from when I said that...On TFP..thats here...Tilted Forum Project *It ain't goodbye, it's see ya later! I'll miss you guys!* - Asta!!

01-27-2005, 09:01 AM	#15 (permalink)
portereight Crazy	I used to work in a hospital where there were a number of people doing cancer research. My job was to assess how computers could help them automate some of the drudgery (this was the mid '80's computers were still a novelty to a surprising number of scientists). Many days during lunch meetings these guys would be shooting the shit about their work and it always struck me how easy it seemed to kill cancer cells. One day I had that thought out loud, and it was explained to me that many diseases such as cancer and most viruses such as HIV/aids are fairly fragile in the grand scheme of things. One of the problems researchers had to deal with was that it sometimes a little too easy to kill things in a laboratory setting, only to find no measurable effect in clinical trial. You really must have a certain mindset to devote that much time (in some cases years) only to find out you were heading down a blind alley. Then you simply start all over again.

01-27-2005, 10:46 AM	#17 (permalink)
Powderedmaggot Banned	Cool, but at this point in my life I'm more worried about cancer.

01-28-2005, 04:31 PM	#18 (permalink)
K-Wise It's All About The Ass!! Location: In a pool of mayonnaise!!	^ Yeah I hear ya but we gotta take our epidemics one at a time I guess. Cancer is probably much harder to kill. Asta!! __________________ "I love music and it's my parents fault (closing statement)." - Me..quoting myself...from when I said that...On TFP..thats here...Tilted Forum Project *It ain't goodbye, it's see ya later! I'll miss you guys!* - Asta!!