HIV/AIDS research offers new hope

November 8, 9:18 AMSeattle HIV and AIDS ExaminerLisa Onstot

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                    Research helps. You can too.

On September 24 it was announced that an experimental vaccine was found to prevent HIV infections.  A US funded research study that took place in Thailand used 16,000 (the largest trial to date) volunteers to obtain their data. 

The outcome of the trial found that the vaccinated individuals cut infections by 31%.  These results are the first  ever demonstration that a vaccine can prevent HIV infection in a general adult population.

In October the researchers for the Military HIV Research Program presented the results in Paris.  The results have been scrutinized and questioned since first announced in September, but the trial was deemed a success.  Although the results are “modest”, they were confirmed.

More work must now be done.  There are many different vaccine trials that the public can get involved with in an effort to help fight this disease.  The most common question from people who are interested in volunteering: Can I get HIV/AIDS from an investigational vaccine? No. You cannot get infected with HIV from the vaccines being tested. In vaccine trials, scientists create synthetic (man-made) genes. These synthetic genes make proteins that resemble those that are present in a real virus, but they do not contain the information required to cause HIV infection. There is no virus or infected material in the investigational vaccine, so there is no way that it can cause HIV/AIDS.

The time commitment varies from study to study, but a typical trial requires 6-20 visits ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours.  This is a small amount of time to sacrifice for such important results. 

If you are interested in getting involved, visit HIV Vaccine Research, Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit and The University of Washington AIDS clinical trials unit.

There is no cure for HIV/AIDS.  A vaccine continues to be the best hope for ending the HIV pandemic.  Now we have proof that the research can work. Modest results are still results.  It is hope. After all, Rome was not built in a day.