'Glimmer' of hope for Aids vaccine

[Guest guest]

'Glimmer' of hope for Aids vaccine

DONNA BRYSON | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Apr 24 2010 06:53

A leader in the search for a vaccine against HIV, which causes Aids, said on

Friday that recent advances have given scientists new reason for hope.

Dr Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise,

cited the world's first successful test of an experimental Aids vaccine. In

September, researchers said the vaccine protected one in three people from

getting HIV in a large study in Thailand.

Bernstein also pointed to recent progress in determining whether people with HIV

produce antibodies that could lead to a vaccine guarding against a variety of

forms of HIV. He also said there is progress in mapping the many variations of

what he called a " clever virus " that has so far eluded vaccine efforts because

it kills some of the key cells needed to make a vaccine.

" This is a very exciting time in the field, " Bernstein said. " A vaccine is

possible, and we have the scientific tools now to turn that possibility into a

reality. "

Though he said the research effort has turned a corner after several setbacks,

he cautioned a vaccine was still several years away.

Others are far less optimistic.

'Glimmer' of hope

" I wish I could say I was. But I'm not, " said Salim Karim, director of the

Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa.

" It's proving to be a challenge that's more complex than previously thought, " he

said, adding he has spent 15 years researching a vaccine, and expected success

to take at least another 15.

Karim called the Thai study a " glimmer. " Scientists must now try to improve the

vaccine so that it protects more than a third of the people who get it, and

lasts for more than the six to 12 months it now appears to be effective.

Questions have been raised about whether an HIV vaccine was possible, and even

whether it made sense to devote time and energy to the pursuit. Bernstein said a

comprehensive approach, that includes finding a vaccine, must be taken against

Aids.

As head of an international group of major vaccine researchers and funders,

Bernstein was in South Africa to discuss strategy with United Nations health and

Aids officials.

South Africa, a country of about 50-million, has an estimated 5,7-million people

infected with HIV, more than in any other country.

'Most effective public health measure'

In an announcement that marked a dramatic shift from the past, South African

President Zuma pledged on World Aids Day last year to embark on earlier

and expanded treatment for HIV-positive South Africans. The programme was to be

formally launched this weekend.

Bernstein said a vaccine would be particularly important for Africa, where

prevention and treatment campaigns have proven costly. A vaccine, unlike an

expensive lifetime regime of Aids drugs, would be administered every few years.

A vaccine " is the most effective public health measure we've come up with " ,

Bernstein said.

The International Aids Vaccine Initiative, which focuses on research into

vaccines against strains of HIV that are prevalent in the developing world, says

a vaccine must be part of a comprehensive solution. It says " no major viral

epidemic has ever been defeated without a vaccine " .

According to a new report summarising findings presented at a 2009 conference of

vaccine researchers, the vaccine hunt is " steadily moving ahead, " though HIV

presents tough challenges.

The report in the May issue of the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal says that

the massive, international effort to find an Aids vaccine has had important side

effects, providing information for the development of other vaccines and

treatment for other diseases. - Sapa-AP

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-04-24-glimmer-of-hope-for-aids-vaccine

[Guest guest]

'Glimmer' of hope for Aids vaccine

DONNA BRYSON | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Apr 24 2010 06:53

A leader in the search for a vaccine against HIV, which causes Aids, said on

Friday that recent advances have given scientists new reason for hope.

Dr Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise,

cited the world's first successful test of an experimental Aids vaccine. In

September, researchers said the vaccine protected one in three people from

getting HIV in a large study in Thailand.

Bernstein also pointed to recent progress in determining whether people with HIV

produce antibodies that could lead to a vaccine guarding against a variety of

forms of HIV. He also said there is progress in mapping the many variations of

what he called a " clever virus " that has so far eluded vaccine efforts because

it kills some of the key cells needed to make a vaccine.

" This is a very exciting time in the field, " Bernstein said. " A vaccine is

possible, and we have the scientific tools now to turn that possibility into a

reality. "

Though he said the research effort has turned a corner after several setbacks,

he cautioned a vaccine was still several years away.

Others are far less optimistic.

'Glimmer' of hope

" I wish I could say I was. But I'm not, " said Salim Karim, director of the

Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa.

" It's proving to be a challenge that's more complex than previously thought, " he

said, adding he has spent 15 years researching a vaccine, and expected success

to take at least another 15.

Karim called the Thai study a " glimmer. " Scientists must now try to improve the

vaccine so that it protects more than a third of the people who get it, and

lasts for more than the six to 12 months it now appears to be effective.

Questions have been raised about whether an HIV vaccine was possible, and even

whether it made sense to devote time and energy to the pursuit. Bernstein said a

comprehensive approach, that includes finding a vaccine, must be taken against

Aids.

As head of an international group of major vaccine researchers and funders,

Bernstein was in South Africa to discuss strategy with United Nations health and

Aids officials.

South Africa, a country of about 50-million, has an estimated 5,7-million people

infected with HIV, more than in any other country.

'Most effective public health measure'

In an announcement that marked a dramatic shift from the past, South African

President Zuma pledged on World Aids Day last year to embark on earlier

and expanded treatment for HIV-positive South Africans. The programme was to be

formally launched this weekend.

Bernstein said a vaccine would be particularly important for Africa, where

prevention and treatment campaigns have proven costly. A vaccine, unlike an

expensive lifetime regime of Aids drugs, would be administered every few years.

A vaccine " is the most effective public health measure we've come up with " ,

Bernstein said.

The International Aids Vaccine Initiative, which focuses on research into

vaccines against strains of HIV that are prevalent in the developing world, says

a vaccine must be part of a comprehensive solution. It says " no major viral

epidemic has ever been defeated without a vaccine " .

According to a new report summarising findings presented at a 2009 conference of

vaccine researchers, the vaccine hunt is " steadily moving ahead, " though HIV

presents tough challenges.

The report in the May issue of the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal says that

the massive, international effort to find an Aids vaccine has had important side

effects, providing information for the development of other vaccines and

treatment for other diseases. - Sapa-AP

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-04-24-glimmer-of-hope-for-aids-vaccine