Scientists Make a Major Breakthrough in Finding a Cure for HIV/AIDS
By: Staff Blogger
AIDS is a devastating disease that has taken its toll on millions of people. It crosses racial boundaries, class lines and effects both genders. For decades, scientists and researchers around the world have worked tirelessly to find a cure that would help to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by the illness.
Researchers from the United States are now reporting that they have found a critical link that can lead to positive implications for those who are HIV positive. The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) reports that after years of experimentation and additional research, they have uncovered a vaccine for HIV. During their trials, they created and tested a vaccine with the intent of completely destroying the virus that causes AIDS. Their test subjects were monkeys.
According to FoxNews, “Their research, which was published in the journal Nature, showed that half of the monkeys they tested responded to the vaccine. The monkeys were infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which is similar to HIV in humans but 100 times more deadly. While the researchers are still trying to determine why some monkeys did not successfully respond to the vaccine, they are hopeful that this technique could work in humans. They have licensed the CMV method to the International
With this breakthrough, the next step will be testing the vaccine with humans to see if it is equally as successful. This is not the first research to result in hopeful news about the eradication of the virus. What is most encouraging about this discovery is that the monkeys were virus free up to three years after receiving the vaccine.
As technology evolves and new medicine is developed, the research community is optimistic that it will soon be able to offer a vaccine, especially for areas that have been ravished by the disease.
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