Monkey immunodeficiency virus vaccine: a complete success

American scientists have created a vaccine against monkey AIDS

RIA NewsAmerican scientists were able to obtain an effective vaccine against monkey immunodeficiency, the new development should help in the creation of a vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to an article published in the journal Nature (Hansen et al., Immune clearance of highly pathogenic SIV infection – VM).

The authors of the study, Louis Picker from the University of Oregon and his colleagues, back in 2011 reported experiments with a new vaccine against the monkey immunodeficiency virus. Then the vaccine completely destroyed the virus in the organisms of 50% of vaccinated and then infected monkeys. Now a group of scientists has reported a complete success.

Scientists used a modified cytomegalovirus of rhesus monkeys, which began to produce proteins of the immunodeficiency virus.

After the appearance of this virus in the body, immune T-cells "got acquainted" with the future enemy. Previously, it was known about the existence of a "vulnerability window" – a period of time in the first days and hours after infection, when the virus has not yet penetrated the so-called reservoirs in the body (tissues and organs where the virus becomes little vulnerable). The "trained" T-cells of vaccinated animals were able to suppress the infection just at this time.

The researchers conducted an experiment with several hundred rhesus monkeys. Monkeys were vaccinated with cytomegalovirus vaccine and then infected with the immunodeficiency virus. In the first hours after infection, the presence of the virus was recorded in the lymph nodes, and then in the blood plasma.

However, after a few weeks, the majority of vaccinated monkeys could not detect the presence of traces of viral DNA or RNA, and after about six months, no traces of the virus remained in any of them.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru12.09.2013