A potential cure for HIV
Summary
TLDRMedical researchers have developed a therapeutic vaccine to combat HIV, aiming to provide a functional cure for those infected. Unlike preventative vaccines, this treatment strengthens the immune system to identify and destroy HIV-infected cells without the need for continuous medication. In trials, 40% of participants were able to control the virus, highlighting the potential for a life-changing impact on HIV management. While not a complete cure, this breakthrough offers hope for a future where HIV could be eradicated.
Takeaways
- π¨ The speaker was terrified upon learning they had HIV, indicating the life-changing impact of the diagnosis.
- π The high cost and side effects of antiretroviral treatments for HIV are a significant concern, especially in resource-poor settings.
- π‘οΈ Only 1% of the population has innate immunity to HIV, which allows their bodies to fight the disease without medication.
- π‘οΈ A therapeutic vaccine is being developed to help infected individuals achieve a 'functional cure', where they can manage HIV without ongoing drug treatment.
- π€ HIV is difficult to treat because it hides in white blood cells, evading the body's immune system.
- π The therapeutic vaccine works in two steps: first, it boosts the immune system, and then a drug called Romi leptin is used to identify HIV-infected cells.
- π¬ Clinical trials have been conducted on individuals who recently contracted HIV to test the vaccine's effectiveness in helping the immune system find and destroy infected cells.
- π Positive results were seen in 40% of the trial participants, who were able to control the virus after receiving the vaccine and stopping antiretroviral treatment.
- π One patient's life has been transformed, as they have not needed to take any medication for six months since receiving the vaccine.
- π Ongoing trials and research are necessary to further develop therapeutic vaccinations and potentially induce a functional cure in a larger proportion of individuals.
- π± Despite progress, eradicating HIV remains a challenge, as the goal is to completely eliminate the virus from the infected individuals and eventually from the world.
Q & A
What was the initial emotional response of the speaker upon learning about their HIV status?
-The speaker was terrified, not upset, upon learning about their HIV status.
Why are antiretroviral treatments for HIV not always the desired option according to the script?
-Antiretroviral treatments are not the desired option due to their side effects on body functions and their high cost, which is especially limiting in resource-poor settings.
What is the annual healthcare budget per person in the example given in the script?
-The annual healthcare budget per person is over 25 dollars, making adequate care for HIV infection almost impossible.
What is a therapeutic vaccine, and how does it differ from a conventional vaccine?
-A therapeutic vaccine helps equip infected bodies to defeat a disease that's already contracted, unlike conventional vaccines that prevent disease.
What percentage of the population is said to have innate immunity to HIV?
-Around 1% of the population has innate immunity to HIV.
What is the goal of the researchers working on the therapeutic vaccine for HIV?
-The goal is to help people achieve a functional cure, where they can deal with the infection without taking drugs, like the naturally immune 1% of the population.
What is a functional cure in the context of HIV?
-A functional cure is a state where the patient doesn't suffer any of the problems associated with HIV, but there may still be traces of the virus in their system.
How does the therapeutic vaccine work to combat HIV?
-The vaccine boosts the patient's immune system to better fight the virus, and then the patient is given a drug that causes HIV-infected cells to release proteins, identifying them to the body for destruction.
What was the aim of the trials conducted by the group of scientists on the vaccine?
-The aim was to help the immune systems of individuals who recently contracted HIV find and destroy HIV-infected cells.
What were the results of the trials involving the therapeutic vaccine?
-The results were encouraging, with 5 out of 13 individuals controlling the virus, which is 40% of the trial participants.
What is the significance of the therapeutic vaccine for individuals like patient Afi's?
-For individuals like Afi's, the vaccine has been life-changing, allowing them to stop taking antiretroviral treatments and maintain an undetectable viral load for an extended period.
What is the current status of therapeutic vaccines for HIV, and what are the future prospects?
-The therapeutic vaccines are still in trial stages, with the hope of inducing a functional cure in a large proportion of individuals and eventually working towards the eradication of HIV.
Outlines
π€ Therapeutic Vaccine for HIV: A Potential Functional Cure
The script discusses the development of a therapeutic vaccine for HIV, which unlike traditional vaccines, aims to help infected individuals fight the disease without the need for continuous treatment. The vaccine is designed to boost the immune system, enabling it to identify and destroy HIV-infected cells. It is particularly significant for resource-poor settings where the cost of treatment is prohibitive. The script highlights the concept of a 'functional cure,' where the patient does not suffer from HIV-related issues, even though the virus may still be present in the body. The vaccine was trialed on individuals recently infected with HIV, with the goal of enabling their immune systems to control the virus. The trial results were promising, with 40% of participants able to manage the virus without further treatment, significantly improving their quality of life. However, the script also emphasizes that this is not a complete cure and that the battle against HIV is far from over, with the ultimate goal being the eradication of the virus.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘HIV
π‘Therapeutic Vaccine
π‘Functional Cure
π‘Innate Immunity
π‘Antiretroviral Treatment
π‘Resource-Poor Settings
π‘Romi Leptin
π‘White Blood Cells
π‘Clinical Trials
π‘Eradication
Highlights
Individuals diagnosed with HIV may experience fear and life-altering changes.
HIV treatments have undesirable side effects and can be very expensive, especially in resource-poor settings.
The healthcare budget in some areas is as low as $25 per person per year, making adequate HIV care nearly impossible.
Medical researchers have developed a therapeutic vaccine as a potential alternative to conventional treatments.
Unlike preventive vaccines, therapeutic vaccines aim to help infected bodies defeat an already contracted disease.
Approximately 1% of the population has innate immunity to HIV, which is the target for the therapeutic vaccine.
The goal is to achieve a functional cure, where the patient is free from HIV symptoms but may still carry traces of the virus.
HIV is difficult to treat because it hides in white blood cells, evading the body's immune response.
The two-step process involves boosting the immune system with a vaccine and then using a drug to identify infected cells.
Clinical trials of the vaccine were conducted on 13 individuals who recently contracted HIV.
The vaccine aims to help the immune system identify and destroy HIV-infected cells without the need for antiretroviral treatment.
In the trials, 5 out of 13 participants were able to control the virus, representing a 40% success rate.
Patient Afi's story illustrates a life-changing outcome of the vaccine, going without medication for six months.
While the vaccine is not a complete cure, it has significantly improved the quality of life for some patients.
Future trials of therapeutic vaccinations are planned worldwide, with the hope of inducing a functional cure in more individuals.
Eradication of the virus is the ultimate goal, but achieving a functional cure is a significant step towards that objective.
The challenge remains to completely eliminate HIV from the infected individuals to consider it a part of history.
Transcripts
when I found out I would say jv+
I wasn't upset I was terrified saying I
have HIV is something big it changes
your life
taking our enteral treatments is not a
desired option they have all their side
effects on our body functions they're
very expensive that is especially
limiting in resource-poor settings of
course take for instance let's out over
25 dollars are assigned per person per
year for healthcare you can imagine that
adequate care for HIV infection stuff
absolutely impossible but there may now
be an alternative medical researchers
have developed a therapeutic vaccine
that could defeat HIV unlike
conventional vaccines which prevent
disease a therapeutic vaccine helps
equip infected bodies to defeat a
disease that's already being contracted
around 1% of the population have innate
immunity to HIV their bodies can fight
the disease without the need for drugs
we wanted to help people to become this
normally only 1% that can deal with the
infection without taking drugs and so
what we wanted to achieve is really what
we call a functional cure a functional
cure is where the patient doesn't suffer
any of the problems associated with HIV
but there may still be traces of the
virus in his or her system HIV infects
some of the persons white blood cells
that normally help protect the body
against illness once the immune system
is compromised an infected person is at
risk of dying from such diseases
tuberculosis pneumonia or the flu HIV is
so hard to treat because it is usually
hidden from the body's own defense
system in otherwise healthy looking
cells to kill it requires a two-step
process firstly the vaccine boosts a
patient's immune system so it is better
able to fight the virus then the patient
is given a drug called Romi leptin which
causes the HIV infected white blood
cells to release proteins on their
surfaces identifying them to the body
the patient's white blood cells boosted
by the vaccine are thus able to find and
destroy these HIV infected cells a group
of scientists ran trials of the vaccine
on 13 people who had recently contracted
HIV with the aim of helping their immune
systems find HIV infected cells and
destroy them once the patients received
the vaccine they stopped taking their
antiretroviral treatment and began
taking Roma Jepson to see whether their
immune systems could defeat the disease
and the results were encouraging five
out of 213 individuals can control the
virus for this forty percent of the
trials participants it's been
life-changing including patient afi's
when I was first told that the treatment
had worked and it was undetectable it
was brilliant since I have had the
vaccine I haven't had to take any pills
or any meds for six months
[Music]
it's not a complete cure so everything
is fine I'm thrilled I don't know what
side effects I might have from taking
this treatment I'm thrilled but I'm
always expecting worse
over the next years we will see
certainly a number of trials of
therapeutic vaccinations going on here
and many other places in the world
we need to hope that we can induce a
functional cure in a large proportion of
these individuals and take them off on
terrestrial treatment but this does not
mean we have won against HIV and we have
a dedicated that virus from the face of
the earth these people are still
infected the challenge is to really
achieve eradication of the virus and
only then can we start thinking of
getting rid of HIV are making it in
history
[Music]
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)