In 1985, over 10,000 cases of AIDS were reported worldwide (White and Fenner 1986). Just over a decade later, in 1998, the Global AIDS Policy Coalition estimated that 30.6 million people were infected with HIV worldwide. It has also been projected that by the year 2000, between 40 and 70 million adults will be infected with HIV (New Generation Vaccines 1997). Over 90% of all HIV-1 infected individuals live in developing nations: 50% in Southeast Asia and 40% in sub-Saharan Africa. However, even with all of these alarming statistics and projections, there is hope for the future of humanity. This hope is a potential anti-AIDS vaccine. An anti-AIDS vaccine is the best bet. Among other factors, the large costs associated with therapeutic drugs do not allow many AIDS patients receive them. This is especially true in the developing nations, constituting over 90% of all HIV infections worldwide (Bloom 1995).
Before discussing the development of a potential vaccine, it is imperative to briefly discuss characteristics of HIV itself and also the immune system that these vaccines would target.
HIV, a retrovirus from the Lentivirus subfamily, contains ssRNA nucleic acid. Some of its other characteristics include: an icosahedron capsid, various enzymes (including reverse transcriptase), and envelope with the glycoproteins gp 120, gp 41, and gp160. The genes of HIV-1 can be placed into 3 general categories: structural, regulatory, and accessory genes. The structural genes include gag, pol, and env. The regulatory genes include tat and rev. The accessory genes are nef, vpr, vpu, and vif (Vaccines 1999).
There are two major branches to the immune system in primates: a humoral or adaptive branch and a cell-mediated or innate branch. The cell-mediated immune response operates through MHC I via CD8+ (cytotoxic T cells). Antibodies are not secreted through this branch of the immune system, and the cell-mediated immune response generally targets viruses and other intracellular antigens. The humoral immune response operates through MHC II via CD4+ (helper T cells). The humoral branch secretes antibodies, which generally target extracellular antigens like bacteria and fungi.
There are many obstacles in the way of HIV vaccine development. First, since HIV often mutates its surface glycoprotein (gp120), it has many strains, and the immune response cannot target all of the poss...
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...type of vaccination could be enhanced in conjunction with subunit vaccines.
In conclusion, there has been a great deal of progress in the development of an anti-AIDS vaccine. The research and knowledge for HIV vaccine development has made great strides in the last decade. Since there are many limitations associated with classical vaccine strategies that incorporate attenuated viruses or inactivated viruses, most efforts in the development of an HIV vaccine are utilizing innovative approaches. Many of these innovative vaccines are very promising, such as the subunit vaccines and the recombinant vector vaccines. Hopefully, it is only a matter of time before a vaccine will be discovered from which all of humanity can benefit.
Works Cited
Bloom, Barry R. "A Perspective on HIV Vaccines." Science. 272: 5270. (1995)
Kuby, Janis. Immunology. 3rd Ed. W.H. Freeman and Company, 1997.
Plotkin, Stanley A. and Orenstein, Walter A. Vaccines. 3rd Ed. W.B. Saunders Company, 1999.
White, David O. and Frank J. Fenner. Medical Virology. 3rd Ed. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, 1986.
"The HIV Vaccine: Situation Analysis." Information for the AIDS Treatment Educator. v. 1, Oct. 1996.
specializing in the care of children as well as in HIV medicine. Glenda Gray was awarded South Africa's highest honour and conducts research in developing microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV vaccines. Presently, Glenda Gray has been active in furthering the search for a vaccine to prevent HIV/Aids to avoid babies dying from the virus. Due to her significant role in her mother-to-child transmission research, the number of new babies born with HIV has dropped from 600,000 a year to 150,000
and the Middle East. In 2013, a total of 98 countries and other small states had a presence of continuous malaria infections. Specific population risk groups include: Non-Immune Pregnant women, Young Children, Semi-immune pregnant women, People with HIV/AIDS. (WHO, Malaria.2013, 1-6). According to the WHO; Young children who live in areas of high transmission but have yet to developed protective immunity against the most severe forms of the disease; Non-immune pregnant women are also susceptible
received global attention over the last thirty years or so is the HIV/AIDS virus. This virus attacks the body’s immune system, which in turn stops the body’s ability to be able to fight off illness. Thus, people who contract HIV/AIDS are susceptible to death by sicknesses that a healthy individual is able to recover from easily. Origins: The cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). HIV-1 is not just one virus, but comprises four distinct lineages
caused by the HIV infection. When the HIV virus enters the body it begins to destroy the immune system impairing its ability to fight off certain infections and diseases. About a month after being infected, a person develops a viral infection. The viral infection is similar to the flu and causes fever, fatigue, weight loss, and swollen glands. These symptoms usually subside, and a person may not develop AIDS for up to 10 years after being infected with HIV. During this time, the HIV virus continues
monkey in Africa, then somehow mutated into a virus that a human could get. AIDS is a complicated illness that may involve several phases. It is caused by a virus that can be passed from person to person. This virus is called HIV, or Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. In order for HIV to become full-blown AIDS, your T-cell count (number of a special type of white-blood cells that fight off diseases) has to drop below 200, or you have to get one of the symptoms of an AIDS-induced infection. Most people recently
began to be seen by doctors and priests who were being sought after to cure a unseen disease which left the people with the “look of death, [making them] so skinny you could see their bones”. The scene then goes on to take a look at one of the first HIV clinics in Port Au Prince, which was opened in the roughest parts of town. One of the surprising things that this clinic found when they were looking at the patients coming in was that the mean they were analyzing had more contact with women then they
that be a drawback in advancement in medical research? Animal testing is beneficial to people because these trails lead to improvements in medical research. Animal experiments have led to finding new cures and vaccines to fatal illnesses. Because animal experiments are helpful in making vaccines to prevent these sicknesses, these trails are the reason so many lives are saved. Animal testing is very necessary and useful to people, but animal rights groups believe that these trails doesn’t benefit humanity
the world is Africa with over %70 of the world’s 40 million people living with HIV or AIDS (Dixon et al., 2002). It has become the leading cause of death among Africans of all ages, according to UNAIDS (Elliot and Stein, 2011). Proven by these alarming statistics, the effects of this disease is becoming more evident in society as the epidemic continues. This paper will provide a strong argument and analysis as to how HIV/AIDS negatively impacts the education sector and economy of a country like Africa
another issue; as is, how much of that information should be taught. Currently, eighteen states and the District of Columbia require schools to provide sex education and thirty-two do not. In some states, such as Louisiana, students may learn about HIV/AIDS, but not about any other sexually transmitted infections or how to prevent pregnancy. In other states, like Washington, teens receive information on everything from birth control pills to homosexuality. However, this once again raises the question
The great apes are humankind’s closest relatives. Great apes include gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos, which are also known as pygmy chimps. At the turn of the century, there were approximately one million chimpanzees in Africa. This number has declined down to 150,000. Mountain gorillas have halved in size over the last ten years, leaving only 320 to roam the trees of their homeland. Some say these great apes will face extinction within a decade. Why is this the case and should we
just or not. Animal testing was started in the 1800’s for creating vaccines for children, the animals they started testing on were monkeys, mice, and guinea pigs. Based off Charles Darwin’s idea that humans are closely linked to primates we based the idea that animal testing would benefit us. (Animal Testing) Animal testing has caused pain and relief alike. On one hand innocent animals are dying on the other we are creating vaccines to save animals and humans alike. It comes down to ethics whether
contamination. One of the major benefits of animal testing is that “…it aids researchers in finding drugs and treatments to improve health and medicine. Many medical treatments have been made possible by animal testing, including cancer and HIV drugs, insulin, antibiotics, vaccines and many more. It is for this reason that animal testing is considered vital for improving human health” (Murnaghan). Numerous expanses of people have been helped by the results of studying and tes... ... middle of paper ...
in culture successfully. Doctor George Gey was the head of tissue culture research at Johns Hopkins Hospital where Henrietta was treated for her cancer. Dr. Gey, along with his wife, had spent years trying to grow cells outside of the human body in search of the cause and cure for cancer. Most cells they tested either died or hardly grew. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot writes, “The Geys were determined to grow the first immortal human cells: a continuously dividing line of cells all
Imagine a baby bunny being trapped in a cage for the entirety of its life, be it sixty years or sixty minutes. Imagine the bunny being constantly poked, prodded and injected with an unknown drug ten to fifteen times a day. Jacqueline Traide, an artist, subjected herself to this type of treatment to give a voice to voiceless victims. To demonstrate the torture these victims are subjected to, Traide was force-fed and injected with cosmetics in a popular mall in the United Kingdom as part of a protest
MFW, Cuthill IC, et al. (2009) Survey of the Quality of Experimental Design, Statistical Analysis and Reporting of Research Using Animals. PLoS ONE 4(11): e7824. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007824 Nature Genetics, "Editorial: Animal Research and the Search for Understanding," nature.com, 2006 Ethics of Medical Research with Animals,. 'U.S. Law And Animal Experimentation: A Critical Primer - Ethics Of Medical Research With Animals'. N. p., 2014. Web. 6 May. 2014. Bbc.co.uk,. 'BBC - Religions - Islam: