Your Daily Dish

Feeding Outrageous to you Daily

Hide Advertisement
  • Animals
    • Farm
    • Pets
    • Zoo
    • Wildlife
  • Family
    • Grandparents
    • Kids
    • Parents
  • Health
    • Exercise
    • Food
    • Medical
  • Humor
  • Lifestyle
    • News
    • Science & Tech
    • Travel
  • Videos
Site logo
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Recent HIV Breakthroughs Bring Us Closer Than Ever to a Vaccine

By Nick Nunez 2 min read
Advertisement - Continue reading below
Credit: Farooq Naeem/Getty Images
Credit: Farooq Naeem/Getty Images

While the world of disease research usually provides scientists with more than their fair share of grueling work and frustrating results, these past few weeks have given HIV researchers some incredible reasons to get excited.

According to NBC News, an experimental HIV vaccine that has already yielded promising results has been approved for a large-scale clinical trial in South Africa this year. Meanwhile, a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has discovered a powerful antibody in the blood of an HIV patient that can unveil clues on how to stop the virus that causes AIDS. Though researchers and doctors are practicing cautious optimism, these breakthroughs have the possibility to bring us closer than ever to something what we once thought was nothing more than science fiction: a vaccine for HIV.

Advertisement

The NIH’s exciting discovery came from identifying an antibody that the doctors named VRC34.01 in the blood of an HIV patient. Doctors treating the patient found that the antibody binds to specific molecules on the HIV virus. Once bound, the scientists were able to crystalize the antibody onto the virus, preventing the virus from infecting any other cells. According to Science Bulletin, the study was led by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of NIH.

Credit: VOANews.com
Credit: VOANews.com

While the NIH’s breakthrough is encouraging, it will take years before this discovery can be made into a vaccine and made into a clinical trial. Thankfully, though, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has already approved a large-scale clinical trial for a different HIV vaccine. The trial is set to begin in November. The trial will take place in South Africa, the country with the largest HIV epidemic in the world, with over 6.3 million people living with the disease according to a UNAIDS Gap Report in 2014.

“For the first time in seven years, the scientific community is embarking on a large-scale clinical trial of [the] HIV vaccine, the product of years of study and experimentation,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The vaccine is an improved version of the RV144 vaccine that was previously tested. While Dr. Fauci has said that new HIV infections have fallen by 35% globally since 2000, the disease still is ravaging communities, especially in Africa and other parts of the developing world. Researchers are confident that this improved version of the vaccine will yield promising results that will eventually lead to the eradication of the disease.

HIV/AIDS still kills at least 1.2 million people globally each year. Scientists are optimistic that a real cure can be developed by 2030.

Advertisement - Continue reading below

sdfdsf

Movie Review: ‘Wonder Woman’ Empowers While It Entertains
Apple
Robin Milling 4 min read

Movie Review: ‘Wonder Woman’ Empowers While It Entertains

Police Officer Makes a Pit Stop on His Lunch Break to Play Hopscotch With a Little Girl
Lifestyle
Margo Gothelf 2 min read

Police Officer Makes a Pit Stop on His Lunch Break to Play Hopscotch With a Little Girl

Introducing Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana
Entertainment
Ryan Miller 1 min read

Introducing Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Archeologists Discover Trove of 71 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossils in Antarctica
Science & Tech
Lauren Boudreau 2 min read

Archeologists Discover Trove of 71 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossils in Antarctica

Kansas City Police Buy Out Little Girl’s Lemonade Stand and Reinforce Her Cop Dreams
Lifestyle
Robin Milling 3 min read

Kansas City Police Buy Out Little Girl’s Lemonade Stand and Reinforce Her Cop Dreams

Watch Dog’s Hilarious Reaction to Whistling Owner
Pets
Brian Delpozo 1 min read

Watch Dog’s Hilarious Reaction to Whistling Owner

Man Stumbles Upon an Abandoned Fish Tank and Finds Three Exotic Animals Living Inside
Lifestyle
Margo Gothelf 2 min read

Man Stumbles Upon an Abandoned Fish Tank and Finds Three Exotic Animals Living Inside

WATCH: Adorable Baby Tasmanian Devils Become Friends With Their Keeper
Animals
Dancy Mason 2 min read

WATCH: Adorable Baby Tasmanian Devils Become Friends With Their Keeper

Master Your Taxes with These Quick Tips for Filing
Finance
Jason Owen 2 min read

Master Your Taxes with These Quick Tips for Filing

Make Your Own Hanging Picture Frame Garden
Lifestyle
Lauren Boudreau 1 min read

Make Your Own Hanging Picture Frame Garden

Video of Man Harassing Woman for Breastfeeding Goes Viral
Lifestyle
Lauren Boudreau 2 min read

Video of Man Harassing Woman for Breastfeeding Goes Viral

Johnny Depp’s Estranged Wife Files for Protection
Entertainment
Sara Wilkins 2 min read

Johnny Depp’s Estranged Wife Files for Protection

sidebar

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

sidebar-alt

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • For Advertisers