# How Close Are We To An AIDS Vaccine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2003, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133 "2003-12-05T11:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/1 "2003-12-05T11:23:45Z")
I ask because I haven’t read anything for a long time, and most research seems to be about anti-viral drugs. Anyway…is the AIDS virus simply too complex for a workable vaccine? Or, will it mutate so fast that an up-to-date vaccine would never be feasible. If the vaccine route fails-what is in store for us? ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/2 "2003-12-05T15:46:20Z")
I am by NO means any sort of expert on medical issues. But, I did attend a private funding placement presentation for the company VirxSys. The presentation included what is happening now, and predictions for the future. The technology sounds very promising, and is in human testing now. Go [here](http://www.virxsys.com/the_science_genetic_vector_technology.html) to read about the technology: “Genetic Vector Technology.” ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/3 "2003-12-05T16:00:47Z")
One trial on a vaccine is under way and two more are set early next year [http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,54396.jsp](http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,54396.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/4 "2003-12-05T16:04:47Z")
There is still work being done, and clearly a vaccine would be a godsend, but the difficulties are immense. There are at least 10 subtypes of HIV-1 M, the main strain worldwide, an unknown number of strains of the outlying HIV-1 O and the prevalence of the newest main group, HIV-1 N, is almost completely unknown - although so far it seems to be confined to West Africa. HIV is a retrovirus, an RNA virus, which due to the nature of genetic copying can mutate quite quickly, meaning tiny differences can occur amongst the virus in even one person’s body, although the implications for this upon a successful vaccine are as yet unknown. The outer proteins, the parts identified by the immune system, are among the most changeable parts of the virus, and its effects directly on the immune system compound the difficulty. There is definitely hope for a vaccine, and there are indeed vaccines in testing, but their effectiveness is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/5 "2003-12-05T17:37:31Z")
According to science documentary series [“Horizon”](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/aidsqa.shtml) on the BBC last night, there _is_ already a “live” vaccine which has been shown to work on chimps, but it is too dangerous to try on humans because of the rate at which the virus mutates - the vaccine could _give_ the recipient HIV/AIDS at any time. It was said that if the incidence of HIV/AIDS were to increase _dramatically_ worldwide, it might then become appropriate to use this vaccine. Julie ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/6 "2003-12-05T17:48:29Z")
according to conspiracy, there is a vaccine locked up somewhere ---
**Author:** ![imperfectionist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@imperfectionist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imperfectionist)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/7 "2003-12-05T20:12:32Z")
They have found that the HIV rate is a lot lower in places that were most recently using smallpox vaccine. So, although it might be irrelevant now that smallpox is conquered, it may come back to protect whole populations from new HIV infections. ---
**Author:** ![Draxus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Draxus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draxus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/8 "2003-12-05T20:34:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > \*\*According to science documentary series [“Horizon”](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/aidsqa.shtml) on the BBC last night, there _is_ already a “live” vaccine which has been shown to work on chimps, but it is too dangerous to try on humans because of the rate at which the virus mutates - the vaccine could _give_ the recipient HIV/AIDS at any time. > > It was said that if the incidence of HIV/AIDS were to increase _dramatically_ worldwide, it might then become appropriate to use this vaccine. > > Julie \*\* Now this confuses me… they want to test an AIDs vaccine on humans which has been succesful on apes infected with AIDs. The only thing holding them back, is the fear of accidently infected the test human with AIDs? Maybe I’m mistaken, but wouldn’t they want to test the vaccine on someone who already has AIDs? I don’t see how testing it on a perfectly healthy human would help (short of realizing any possible side-effects). I don’t think someone with AID’s would be too concerned with getting AIDs from the vaccine, hehe. ---
**Author:** ![Apoptosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Apoptosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apoptosis)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/9 "2003-12-05T20:51:28Z")
Hey **Draxus** , An AIDS vaccine would have no beneficial effect on a patient with AIDS. The point is to give a healthy person a vaccination to prevent them from contracting the disease. Very few vaccines are capable of helping a patient that has already been infected (rabies is an obvious exception). If you want my personal opinion, HIV will never be conquered by vaccination. -Apoptosis ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/10 "2003-12-05T20:54:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Draxus \* > \*\*Now this confuses me… they want to test an AIDs vaccine on humans which has been succesful on apes infected with AIDs. The only thing holding them back, is the fear of accidently infected the test human with AIDs? Maybe I’m mistaken, but wouldn’t they want to test the vaccine on someone who already has AIDs? I don’t see how testing it on a perfectly healthy human would help (short of realizing any possible side-effects). I don’t think someone with AID’s would be too concerned with getting AIDs from the vaccine, hehe. \*\* AIDS vaccines aren’t tested by injecting someone and pushing them out the door saying “go try something risky!” Researchers will inject a healthy volunteer and later measure the levels of HIV antibodies in the person’s blood. Comparisons are then done between the vaccine participants and the placebo participants, trying to determine how effective the trial vaccine was in raising antibodies. That isn’t to say they won’t be paying attention to volunteers who contract HIV (through behaviour, _not_ from the vaccine) during the course of the study. They’ll measure viral loads, antibody levels, etc. A vaccine is intended to prevent the transmission of the disease, not treat the disease itself. As such, testing a vaccine on HIV-positive participants wouldn’t do much. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-we-to-an-aids-vaccine/217133/11 "2003-12-05T21:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Draxus \* > **Now this confuses me… they want to test an AIDs vaccine on humans which has been succesful on apes infected with AIDs. The only thing holding them back, is the fear of accidently infected the test human with AIDs? Maybe I’m mistaken, but wouldn’t they want to test the vaccine on someone who already has AIDs?** You’re conflating a preventative vaccine with a post-infection cure. By definition, a vaccine is meant to prevent a future illness.