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Researchers Attempt to Outwit AIDS Virus
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by Barbara McPherson | May 19, 2009 at 08:24 am
158 views | 48 Recommendations | 3 comments
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Promising new tools are being tried in the battle against the AIDS pandemic. While researchers caution that the application of these tools to humans may be years away this new information promises yet another weapon to fight this deadly virus.
Unsuccessful at developing vaccines that cause the body's natural immune system to battle the virus, researchers are testing inserting a gene into the muscle that can cause it to produce protective antibodies against HIV.
The new method worked in mice and now has proved successful in monkeys, too, they reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Medicine. The team is led by Dr. Philip Johnson of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The human immunodeficiency virus has killed millions and devastated communities around the world.
More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.
Africa has 11.6 million AIDS orphans.
At the end of 2007, women accounted for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Young people (under 25 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.
In developing and transitional countries, 9.7 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 2.99 million (31%) are receiving the drugs.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 08:37 on May 19th, 2009
They have been trying since 1984.
The genius of that virus is that it can change and adapt so fast and one could say almost Intelligent.
Wish does not make it easy for us though.
at 11:40 on May 19th, 2009
good developments for sure.
at 15:31 on May 19th, 2009
From time to time a super cure for aids finds its way into the media, one such cure was a vibrating laser beam that could destroy the out wall of viruses at set vibrations. I am sorry to say that such super cure releases are general methods of getting investment. But then we hear no more about the super cure.
I hope this is the real thing however but time will tell.