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We all want to hear a resounding "yes!" when asking if there is an HIV vaccine in the near future. Although I am sure there will be leaps and bounds in therapeutics and treatments for those who are infected and new ways to prevent against becoming infected, it is my educated opinion that there will never be an actual HIV vaccine.

Vaccines work by pre-exposing the body's immune system to specific pieces of the virus. This way when an individual is exposed to the real virus the body already has an immune response against it and it is killed before it can infect the host cells. The problem with HIV in this context is that the antibody targeted proteins on its surface undergo constant mutation. Even in the same individual the virus is different when comparing the virus that initially infected them and the virus present when they develop AIDS. That is one way it overcomes our immune system. The virus mutates to survive, and if it comes into contact with a person vaccinated specifically for its proteins it will probably mutate and conquer. I do believe there is hope for preventing some infections, but I hardly think it is reasonable to cover all the variations of HIV proteins to make an effective vaccine.

There has been some research finding that defects in particular co-receptors protect some populations, particularly in Scandinavia, from HIV infection. Targeting this weakness in the virus will be key to new prevention methods, but it is not a vaccine. Different strains of HIV are capable of infecting different immune cells more efficiently than others. It would be difficult to target the appropriate people who will come into contact with a particular strain. Also, there are now individuals exhibiting "super AIDS" type infections, cumulative effects of being infected with multiple strains of HIV.

HIV is a human specific virus. It is an evolutionary descendant of SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus), but they are not identical. Results seen in chimps, especially in low numbers, are not indicative of human results. It would take multiple trials by multiple independent labs in groups of 6 or more chimps with controls and identical results to prove that a treatment is working. Even then there is no guarantee that the response would be identical in humans. Even then, the research done in this arena is therapeutic, preventing the development of AIDS, but not HIV infection itself.

The most promising treatment to date, in my opinion, is the German research discussed by Charles Sumpter in this block of articles. The lab found an enzyme that recognizes the HIV genetic code and snips it out of the human genome. It would be a way to keep HIV infection from worsening and perhaps even lower its count in the human body. But HIV can lay dormant for years, even decades. Curled up and hidden in non replicating DNA. The enzyme would have to be a constant treatment over a lifetime. This is still not a vaccine nor a cure.

Due to the nature of HIV itself, I think there will never be a true vaccine. There will be new strides in treatment as we discover new things about its structure and weaknesses in the virus's actions. We will have new therapies that keep an HIV positive diagnosis from being a death sentence. We may even glimpse research that finds ways to lower the viral load. But the key to ridding ourselves of HIV infection is still prevention. Don't let your guards down with promises of vaccines and cures, you are still the best line of defense to protect yourselves!

Learn more about this author, Alicia M Prater PhD.
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