HIV Vaccine in Development

Scientists have made an exciting step toward an HIV vaccine that could work against many different strains of the virus. In a study with monkeys, researchers tested a new type of vaccine—delivered both as a protein shot and as a mRNA vaccine—that successfully trained the animals’ immune systems to recognize HIV. Importantly, the vaccine helped “teach” special immune cells how to start building the kinds of antibodies needed to fight off the virus, which is notoriously tricky because it mutates so quickly. While this is still early research, the results are encouraging because they show a real possibility of creating a vaccine that could offer broad protection against HIV, something scientists have been working toward for decades.

Image via The Scientist

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