HIV/AIDS Vaccine To Begin Phase I Human Trials

An anonymous reader writes "An HIV/AIDS vaccine developed in Ontario has applied for Phase 1 human trials. Safety and immunogenicity studies of the vaccine, dubbed SAV001-H, have already been completed on animals. Phase 1 human trials will check the safety of the vaccine on HIV positive volunteers. Phase 2 will then test immunogenicity."

Comments

Which is It?

[sexconker]

Is this a vaccine for the virus, as one with half a brain would assume?

Or is this a magic serum that cures you of AIDS while not dealing with HIV?

HIV/AIDS is stupid.
HIV and AIDS are separate, though related, things.

Think of the confusion:
Person with AIDS gets vaccine and thinks it's okay to have unprotected sex willy-nilly.

Re:Which is It?

[Excelcia]

HIV/AIDS is stupid

Are you trying to promote the HIV doesn't necessarily cause aids point of view?

The vaccine in question does as any viral vaccine does, which is to help prevent an exposure to a virus from turning into an infection. In this case, it is intended to help prevent exposure to HIV from becoming AIDS. Once exposure has progressed into an infection, vaccines have little, if any, efficacy.

Is this it?

[davek]

From TFA:

"We hope this vaccine is it, and hopefully this vaccine will prevent HIV infection and save millions of lives." University of Western Ontario professor Chil-Yong Kang.

Human trials are necessary to test the efficacy of the vaccine in protecting against HIV infection because the HIV virus does not cause AIDS-like symptoms in animals, says Kang. However, the immune responses in the animal trials have been promising, he says.

Sounds like if this is for real, HIV will go the way of smallpox and polio. Is this as huge as it sounds?

Re:Is this it?

[geoffspear]

No, because parents will refuse to let their children get vaccinated because that would encourage them to have premarital sex.

Re:Is this it?

[BlueBoxSW.com]

Phase I is really too early to get any hope up. Most "promising" drugs that enter Phase I don't make it to the end of Phase III (FDA approval).

Re:Is this it?

[im_thatoneguy]

I assume that depends on the level of immunity it provides. Are we talking Flu Vaccine or Small Pox vaccine level of protection?

Re:Is this it?

[rumblin'rabbit]

It wouldn't have to be 100% effective to eradicate HIV. Slowing the spread of a disease can be enough to make it (eventually) disappear.

Re:Cue objections from the religious right:

[localman57]

If you're dumb enough to contract HIV in any way other than a clinical fuck-up, then frankly, I hope you die, and I hope you never managed to reproduce.

Nice sentiment. Until you find out that your husband/wife was not, in fact, on a hiking trip. Suddenly you need an urgent blood test, despite never having done anything more risky than trusting your spouse.

And, just for the record, you should care because empathy is one of the things that separates you from lower species.

Re:Cue objections from the religious right:

[Calithulu]

Good plan. The next time an atheist comes to my door to preach at me I'll just tell them to go away. Oh, wait, that never happens.

On the other hand, evangelical religious folk do come to my door and try to convert me or, as has happened int the past, try to convince neighborhood kids to join their church when they think the parents aren't home.

Re:Cue objections from the religious right:

[mevets]

Sorry, it is the rotten millions that spoil it for the good few.