HIV Vaccine Trial

When HIV came into existence in the year 1981, the chief scientists expected that an effective vaccine would be produced in couple of years. More than three million people died due to HIV infection, which shattered the perception of the scientist. However, now Rockefeller University's researchers have taken an important step as they have researched the vaccine that they hope would help to fight with the disease. They have researched on this vaccine for more than fifteen years. They are testing this vaccine that directly increases the power of the cells that organize the body's immune response, called the dendritic cells.

Sarah Schlesinger, who is an associate professor of clinical investigation, leading the study, says that this vaccine improves the quality of immune response to HIV. Zanvbil A. Cohn and Ralph M. Steinman discovered the dendritic cells in 1973 at Rockefeller. These cells train the T-cells for killing the viruses or infections that cause the damage to the immune system. Schlesinger says that every vaccine works through the dendritic cells in some way, we have just comprehended how.

Vaccines should go through three stages that are known as clinical trails. So, FDA (U.S. food and Drug administration) can license them for use. The first stage involves extensive testing in the laboratory and animal studies as well as it has been tested for tolerability and safety in humans. The second stage checks for its desired effects. The third stage that contains thousands of patients, cost is almost tens of million and may take ten years or more period to decide whether the vaccine is effective or not.

The trial that is carried out is in the safety stage. However, researchers want to probe many doubts if it is effective or not. We want to know the response of the vaccine to the immune system says Schlesinger

Till date, only three candidates have been successful to the third stage of testing. However, the first two failed. It made a negative effect on some scientists. Nevertheless, the third trial results that were carried in Thailand, gave a new vision to the development of HIV vaccine. Schlesinger says that it has really boosted the development of HIV vaccine. Recruitment process has been conducted for the volunteers. Schlesinger says that what they learn from the people who participate in the development process of the vaccine that their help is invaluable for us.

Current vaccines trial

HIV vaccine trial is the new step that has been taken for the development of HIV vaccine. The given information about this step would help you to learn the importance of HIV vaccine.