http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/new-hope-for-hiv-vaccine.html?_r=0
According to this New York Times article, scientist Dr. Picker has tried a classified vaccination used to treat/postpone H.I.V (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) by testing primates, some of our closest relatives. As part of standard procedure, he moves up the study in accordance with similar mammals like mice to gorillas, and with enough confidence, humans. Because many people don’t know what HIV actually is, I’m going to explain it in the simplest way possible. HIV is classified as a retrovirus and by “retro”. I mean the enzyme/molecule that they have which differentiates them from the standard bell curve. Retroviruses contain an enzyme called “Reverse Transcriptase” which gives them the ability to function with a normal animal cell with somewhat unusual properties. Firstly, we know that DNA can’t leave the nucleus, so it sends RRNA (Ribosomal RNA) which is a single helix to transcribe the embedded code of DNA into gene expression. When Reverse Transcriptase enters the cell, the cell begins to use RRNA to produce DNA. This new mutated DNA attacks the T-Cells and B-Cells that live in our body which are responsible for the stabilization of the immune system; T meaning thymus, and B meaning bone marrow. The reduced immune system is unable to fight the simplest of diseases, both bacterial and viral; Thao have’th death de tardusor, or as I would like to say, “Ipse morte moriatur tarda”. With that matter resolved, we can once again focus on this exhilarating discovery. Like many vaccinations we receive from the doctor annually, Dr. Picker tested the primate variant of H.I.V named “S.I.V”, one that is much weaker, thus building an immunity to that type for that year. Out of the 16 given the vaccination, 9 of them survived 56.25% in other words. Though this number, to the human eye, is horrendous, be sure to emphasize the word”cured” as opposed to the doctor-friendly quota “temporary”. Yes, this is good news, especially for a newly tested vaccination with a 56% success rate in permanent treatment. Remember though, this is S.I.V, the primate variant of H.I.V was given the vaccination, not H.I.V itself. Humans today still need to rely on today’s finest treatments such as pills and bone marrow injections. This may be upsetting, but the research is clear, if we can manipulate the genetic sequence of S.I.V to be prone to antibiotics and vaccinations, it can be done with H.I.V. Though this may no be as easy for humans as it is for primates because human’s genetic sequence compared to that of primates, despite the 99% similarities, is much more complex to map and sort out. According to the article, ample tests for humans should be conducted, tested, and ready within 2016-2017.
