The good news about AIDS vaccine research
THIS week, the international brain trust behind the search for the elusive HIV/AIDS vaccine is meeting in Seattle, a fitting venue as this city grows more renowned for infectious-disease research.
Nearly 1,000 scientists from around the world who gathered for the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference have a lot to share, much of it good news. Optimism is high for good reason. Collaborative efforts, solidified by creation of the Global HIV/AIDS Vaccine Enterprise seven years ago, are yielding fruit. Thirty-three vaccine candidates are undergoing human trials on every continent.
Results from the two most-promising candidates could be out next year. One is being developed by Merck and tested in a large clinical trial at sites in the U.S., Canada, Peru, Brazil and several Caribbean countries. The other is being developed by the National Institutes of Health.
These are exciting times in immunological and infectious diseases arenas. Some exhilaration will spread to the general public as the realization of this battle’s frontier becomes apparent. One or several vaccines are needed weapons for a disease in which infections far outpace treatment.