Nobel Winner: HIV Vaccine Within 5 Years

Therapeutic Vaccine - For Those Already Infected - Would Be Step Toward Preventative Shot

(CBS/AP)  One of the scientists sharing the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering HIV said Saturday he believes there will be a therapeutic vaccine to treat the virus within five years.

Luc Montagnier, of France, told reporters in Sweden that he believed it was "a matter of 4 to 5 years" before a therapeutic vaccine to treat HIV infection is developed. He did not elaborate as to why he believed scientists were close.

Scientists have developed lifesaving drugs that can inhibit the disease, but there is no vaccine to prevent or treat HIV infection. Finding a vaccine has proved elusive in the past, with the most recent trials ending in failure.

However, a therapeutic vaccine would be a key step in fighting the virus, he said. A therapeutic vaccine would be given to people who are already infected, in order to lessen the impact of the disease while a preventative vaccine would, ideally, protect people from HIV.

So far, scientists have focused on drugs to fight the disease because they have been proving effective. In developed countries, AIDS has become manageable, rather than fatal, because of the drugs.

HIV was first identified 25 years ago, but still poses difficult challenges. Scientists cannot explain, for example, why it causes the immune system to collapse.

Montagnier, together with other Nobel laureates, began arriving in Stockholm on Saturday ahead of a week of Nobel festivities that culminates with a lavish banquet and awards ceremony Dec. 10.

The 76-year old scientist shares one half the $1.2 million prize with 61-year-old Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, also of France, for their research on HIV. The other half goes to Germany's Harald zur Hausen, 72, for showing a viral cause for cervical cancer.

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf will hand over the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Wednesday along with the awards in chemistry, physics, literature and economics. The Nobel Peace Prize is presented at a separate ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

[dbstevens]

God Bless Luc if he is right.

[indivthinker]

AIDS is kind of like the flu. There can be no permanently effective vaccine because the virus keeps mutating. A vaccine can never be developed to protect against all strains of the virus. Due to mutations, there are several hundred strains, and only a few dozen have vaccines already developed for them.

[reticentreba]

BRdeckard:
Are you really as ignorant as your comment suggests?

[alindgr1]

I sure hope he is right, but scientists have predicted things in the past have not come true. Flying cars for example.

[earache4]

This guy looks like a muppet....

[farmerbb]

There is no such word as "preventative". Any more than there is a word "inventative". This is a keyboard stutter made into a word. The word is simply "preventive".

The same applies to the fake verb "orientate". The verb is "orient", and the NOUN "orientation".

Chalk these up along with "nuke-you-lar" instead of "nu-cle-ar".

[renrenjuan]

Clear evidence of how the MSM creates a dummy down culture: "Scientists cannot explain, for example, why it causes the immune system to collapse.". In fact few disease processes are better understood than how HIV causes immune system collapse.

[silverstar06]

Whereas a vaccine would be saying that AIDS a diseases comparable to typhoid or tuberculosis, which are caused by bacteria, and transmitted onto exposed humans through food or by air. AIDS/HIV (whatever scientists want to call it...) though, is mainly a disease caused by dangerous sexual activities. What kind of message does developing a vaccine create? Seems like stretching the Hippocratic oath...

[amrt5016]

I''m hopeful that a vaccine will indeed be developed, this coming from a scientist at the top of the game. This is like the holy grail right now. Five years, ten years, who cares. The fact they keep trying means there is always a new angle and avenue of research worth pursuing. And one of these days, they''ll achieve a real breakthrough. AIDS is still somewhat of mystery as the article indicates. When this mystery is solved, science will take another step forward.

[silverstar06]

Posted by amrt5016 at 10:57 AM : Dec 07, 2008
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Being a scientist coming from the top of the game, how and where did AIDS start? How was it able to spread so rapidly across the whole world? You trained professionals want to still attribute monkeys to it''s spreading, and expect all lay people to believe such nonsense. Simply because you have established yourselves on top of your own made pyramid in the sky.

[crowtrob1]

actually renrenjuan, cd4+ t-cells are lysed in the acute phase leading to a significant drop in immune response, also, when t-cells remain activated for a long time, they are more susceptible to apoptosis-programmed cell death- a suicide program. we really need to improve science education in this country.

[oigen]

HIV is a scam. Tell me. How can African Americans have this so called plaque ten times more than white people and twenty times more than Asians? Are they ten to twenty times more promiscuous? Are their sexual proclivities any different? Hardly. The inventors of HIV are so lost that they have to resort to experiments using hapless children of visible minorities as guinea pigs to come up with a Hail Mary "vaccine"
...See video...http://www.tinyurl.com/6g76hn....
And all for a virus which by using the same mumbo jumbo statistical models as they use today was supposed to have dispatched practically the whole of mankind by the year 2000. None of their predictions ever came true and they never will.

[jbaker314]

I remain highly sceptical that any kind of HIV vaccine is even possible, much less likely within the next five years. The article is wrong in referring to HIV as a "virus". It is NOT a virus. It is a "retrovirus", which is an entirely different thing. A retrovirus is also responsible for some varieties of leukemia. We are able, at tremendous costs, to limit the number deaths attributable to HIV. Will we be able to develop a vaccine, theraputic or otherwise? Probably. But I believe that five years is unrealistic. A century is probably more on line with reality.

[Meg003]

Why are we spending tremendous sums on a disease that can be prevented very easily? Why not focus on incurable diseases that are not preventable with very minimal changes in behavior?

[lawyertom1]

It would be wonderful if this prediction had even a modest chance of being successful. However, given the history of HIV vaccines to date, I believe the good scientist is more than a little overly optimistic.

[simonf4-2009]

luc is a great virologist, but no immunologist. if you''d ask any viral immunologist working on HIV, then they''d disagree.

yes, some individuals have been identified to produce neutralizing Abs to HIV, but creating vaccines that allow B cell responses to produce these NAbs are far from achievable. CD8 vaccines apparently won''t suffice, as seen from the STEP trial. simply speaking, HIGHLY unlikely and overly optimistic.

unless there are unexpected breakthroughs, it''ll take another decade if we''re lucky.

[Meg003]

I guess it gets so much attention so people can screw around without worry. It seems yet another form of greed.

Posted by cbsfan7331

You may be right. After all, we couldn''t expect people to accept any responsibility for their behavior and its consequences without telling them to stop indulging their every want.

[oneworldusa]

I don''t think AIDS exists. Its like the Bird Flu and Global Warming. All just fear mongers looking to make a buck based public fear propaganda. Regardless, practice good hygiene and sanitary practices and there should be nothing or little to fear, right?

[rf35]

Well, soon-to-come vaccine or no, AIDS has been a major disappointment. This planet needs a virus or other disease capable of wiping out billions, not just a few million. The global population must be dropped to around 1 billion if the planet is to survive. Anything beyond that is unsustainable in the long run. A population of 6.6 billion (and rapidly climbing) is self-terminating. Humans are literally breeding themselves into extinction.

[alindgr1]

It''s all George Bush''s fault

[reel-crazy]

The main problem seems to be with the FDA in gaining final approval of current vaccines already available.

Cel-Sci.com has had 3 patents on such potential drugs since 2001:

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/CEL-SCI-Presents-Favorable-Data-for-Leaps-Vaccine-Technology-at-Prestigious-Immunology-Conference-21315-2/

[reel-crazy]

My apologies for the previous link I inserted. This is the one I should have used:

http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/intellectual-property/812789-1.html

[rf35]

"You cannot reproduce this way."
Posted by corey2444 at 06:17 AM

You say that like it''s a bad thing. You WANT them reproducing? I, for one, approve of their lifestyle: risky behavior that could lead to life-threatening illness and no chance of kids from their activities.

[nycsense]

Well, soon-to-come vaccine or no, AIDS has been a major disappointment. This planet needs a virus or other disease capable of wiping out billions, not just a few million. The global population must be dropped to around 1 billion if the planet is to survive. Anything beyond that is unsustainable in the long run. A population of 6.6 billion (and rapidly climbing) is self-terminating. Humans are literally breeding themselves into extinction.


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Posted by rf35


rft35, I agree completely with you, and I think you should be the first to go. Thank you so much for volunteering. I feel so proud that you and people who think like you will step up to take one for the team.
It''s very noble of you, and I''m sure the rest of the population will appreciate you and your like-minded friend''s sacrifice.

Thanks again,

[pachamaxi]

Is he the same guy that created it in the first place? The one who made it from monkeys in that lab in jamaica or one of those islands where all those off shore accounts are?

Posted by sockpuppet4 at 09:43 AM : Dec 08, 2008
+ report abuse
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you such an ignorant person!!!all the post you write have no sense, stop posting blog and go speculate in your kitchen with your fruits and vegetables

The monkey thought is close, if you believe a documentary that discusses that HIV first appeared in countries that used Chimp livers (which carry SIV) for the vaccine for polio. It might be just another conspiracy theory, but the documentary was very fact heavy and rather depressing. I think it was called The Origin of AIDS. If it is true, it was human hubris that created AIDS.

[pachamaxi]

If we new were the virus come from we will have by now the anti-virus.
Conspiracy theory are good for the media, as human kind we need to go further those idea and protect each other instead of blaming consistantly and looking for excuses.

[usclimey]

Corey2444 - you''re no better than a virus.

[rf35]

rf35, I agree completely with you, and I think you should be the first to go. Thank you so much for volunteering. I feel so proud that you and people who think like you will step up to take one for the team.
It''s very noble of you, and I''m sure the rest of the population will appreciate you and your like-minded friend''s sacrifice.

Thanks again,
Posted by nycsense at 09:41 AM : Dec 08, 2008

Actually, I am far too busy educating those who can''t wrap their minds around the concept of responsible reproduction to depart the planet. If I prevent just two conceptions, I feel I have offset my own presence and I have prevented far more than two. And yes, I have chosen not to add to the problem by having multiple children of my own.
One of two things will happen to humanity if we can''t get our population down by limiting reproduction on our own. Either the Earth''s "immune system" will kick in and do it for us, possibily to the point of extinction or we will, like a deadly parasite, kill the "host." Either reaction results in massive human suffering. Since, despite the efforts of people like me to limit population through education and outreach, the majority people can''t seem to get their breeding under control, I am hoping for the "immune system" option. At least this offers some hope for long-term survivle as a species.