Scientists discover AIDS breakthrough
                From correspondents in Washington From:
AFP July 09, 2010 8:17AM
US researchers have discovered two powerful antibodies that neutralise more than 90 per cent of all known strains of the HIV virus in the lab, new research released today showed.
NIH-led scientists discovered the antibodies known as VRCO1 and VRCO2 that prevent most HIV strains from infecting human cells. The find is a potential breakthrough for advancing HIV vaccine design, and antibody therapy for other diseases.
The authors, whose work is published in the July 9 issue of Science, also were able to demonstrate how one of these disease-fighting proteins gets the job done.
"The discovery of these exceptionally broadly neutralising antibodies to HIV and the structural analysis that explains how they work are exciting advances that will accelerate our efforts to find a preventive HIV vaccine for global use," said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health.
"In addition, the technique the teams used to find the new antibodies represents a novel strategy that could be applied to vaccine design for many other infectious diseases," Dr Fauci said.
The team of virologists found that the two antibodies were produced naturally and found in the blood of HIV-positive people.
They were able to isolate these antibodies using a new molecular device they developed. It zeroes in on specific cells that make antibodies against HIV. The device is an HIV protein scientists modified to react only with antibodies specific to the site where the virus binds to cells it infects.
Leading two research teams were NIAID scientists Peter Kwong, PhD, John Mascola, MD, and Gary Nabel, MD, PhD.
"We have used our knowledge of the structure of a virus - in this case, the outer surface of HIV - to refine molecular tools that pinpoint the vulnerable spot on the virus and guide us to antibodies that attach to this spot, blocking the virus from infecting cells," Dr Nabel said.
Dr Mascola said that: "the antibodies attach to a virtually unchanging part of the virus, and this explains why they can neutralise such an extraordinary range of HIV strains."
Link here:
http://www.news.com.au/technolog ... rfro0-1225889643252

Great, this is yet another interesting breakthrough towards developing a cure for HIV.
I think and hope that not too soon these breakthroughs will combine, eliminating one of the most biggest fears when having unprotected sex, to help the infected suffering.

Wonder if there are any side effects?  Back in the day, Magic Johnson's treatment left him "bloated".

HIV is a fraud.

http://www.hiv-aids-factorfraud.com/

MJ is still looking as healthy as ever. In fact he was downright drunk while appearing on ESPN after Game 7.

I wonder why that is.

It's amazing isn't it, when Magic gave his annoucement that he was HIV positive, it put it in a different light. And all these many years after, all the medical concoctions he's had. He's done a lot better than I ever though possible.

I think your post is in seriously bad taste.  

The thread is about AIDS, which is a serious disease by any evaluation, and about the best efforts being made to prevent it and cure it.  

If you want to
  make a satirical comment or
  post a link as a joke, or
  raise awareness of a controversial point of view ...

please add more words to make it clear what YOUR view is on the subject AND how you think the facts should affect our behavior on this forum and when out having paid sex.

Whoa there, the "antibodies are found in the blood of HIV positive persons"

Doesn't sound like they're working in vivo all that well.  

hopefully science will pull through and defeat this terrible disease

the only thing that i worry is that many diseases mutate

hopefully AIDS can be destroyed before it takes a new and stronger form

very interesting post atomic and insightful

HIV is very much prevalent but it is after all a virus that's been around for nearly three decades  and like SARS the body becomes more resistant to it and less chance today of it turning into full blown AIDS. In a way, there's been a conspiracy going on as billions of dollars have been poured into AIDS research and now that AIDS is becoming less frequent, the AIDS research establishments are claiming they have been successful in stemming AIDS. I don't buy this as in Africa, many men still refuse the use of condoms but yet HIV developing into full blown AIDS is on the decline. The body is the best weapon and it battles with viruses.

I have discussed this in detail with one of the researchers in the program and he alerted me to these facts.

I read not that long ago that diseases that kill far and away more people than AIDS, such as malaria, get only a fraction of the funding that AIDS research gets due to it's higher profile in the west and the people dying from malaria being poor and therefore unable fatten the drug companies bottom line.

this is very true

so i guess ppl like richard gere and robert downey jr need to get malaria

hollywood has such a fake agenda

they act like they are for the common man

but they try to get on your good side

i admit there are those who are true to the cause

but let's face it, ppl now a days just don't do things just because they are nice

not many pure ppl like that in this world

I would assume that most western media would cover Aids and HIV more because of how prevailant it is in North America. I'm sure if there was a malaria epidemic (such as sars) that swept through Canada and the US, everyone would be in a frenzy to find a cure.

Great find!

Coming from a scientific standpoint, if the antibody binds onto the HIV virus, disallowing it from attach it, would then the body be able to recognize the foreign threat and eliminate it naturally?