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Helpful is an understatement, it would be life changing for many worldwide. Therapy and prevention measures exist but they're still not available to everyone an

Helpful is an understatement, it would be life changing for many worldwide. Therapy and prevention measures exist but they're still not available to everyone and can be a significant financial cost, even with insurance. For some, it's still not an affordable option. Mutations and resistance also still occur and although life has been extended significantly, it's still a lingering health issue that requires careful professional monitoring and treatment. The assumption is that a vaccine would be long lasting, preventative, and likely cheaper if not cheap. That's not only a significant improvement in quality of life in developed countries, that's truly life changing/giving if available in less developed countries. The COVID vaccines and potentially this are examples of capitalism done right.

BurningFrog 5y ago
Could an HIV vaccine actually cure those already infected?
- bayesian_horse 5y ago
  Because of the way HIV "works" any preventative vaccine would almost certainly be curative or as good as. The HI virus is very slow (not called "Lentivirus" for nothing) and invests itself in the very stemcells of the cells that would be fighting it. This means it can hide from the immune system, and even the antiviral drugs can only push it back. But by the same token, if it is pushed back into the deepest refuge, it can't really "flood" back into the rest of the body, it has to do so at a a trickle. If there is a viable vaccine around, even if the virus manages to hide from total extinction in a host at first, it will get squashed whenever it tries to come back into the "light" of the immune system. At least I hope it will work that way...
  - BurningFrog 5y ago
    I'm a bit confused since HIV works by disabling the immune system, and a vaccine works by priming the immune system. So... if HIV has already damaged your immune system, can it take advantage of the vaccine? Perhaps figuring out that is what the tests are for.
    - betterunix2 5y ago
      Actually the immune system does fight HIV during the acute infection stage after a person is first exposed, and antibodies are generated. The immune response to HIV is what does most of the damage to the immune system, since a typical immune response to virus infection involves the destruction of infected cells. HIV infects certain immune cells, which will either self-destruct when the infection is detected or will be destroyed by other immune cells.
      - bayesian_horse 5y ago
        Also, some people actually develop the so called "broadly neutralizing antibodies" and become immune to AIDs as a consequence. There have even be experimental treatments where HIV infected patients who also got Leukemia got treated with radiation, and then a stemcell donation from someone with such an immunity. And they are indeed cured (for practical purposes, there are some details...). Unfortunately, those donors are rare and the radiation therapy etc is probably worse than the chronic antiviral therapy, which is why this is not a more common treatment for HIV. Of course, inducing these particular antibodies has been the goal of various immunization efforts. Unfortunately this proved more challenging than it might seem.
    - bayesian_horse 5y ago
      You are confusing HIV infection and AIDS. The former is the virus, the latter is the end-stage disease. It takes the virus years to reach the viral loads necessary to damage the immune system to a noticeable degree. Sure, HIV has some tricks before that point, but patients are generally not immunocompromised until AIDS enters the picture.
      - BurningFrog 5y ago
        That clears up my confusion. Thanx!

BurningFrog 5y ago

Could an HIV vaccine actually cure those already infected?

bayesian_horse 5y ago
Because of the way HIV "works" any preventative vaccine would almost certainly be curative or as good as. The HI virus is very slow (not called "Lentivirus" for nothing) and invests itself in the very stemcells of the cells that would be fighting it. This means it can hide from the immune system, and even the antiviral drugs can only push it back. But by the same token, if it is pushed back into the deepest refuge, it can't really "flood" back into the rest of the body, it has to do so at a a trickle. If there is a viable vaccine around, even if the virus manages to hide from total extinction in a host at first, it will get squashed whenever it tries to come back into the "light" of the immune system. At least I hope it will work that way...
- BurningFrog 5y ago
  I'm a bit confused since HIV works by disabling the immune system, and a vaccine works by priming the immune system. So... if HIV has already damaged your immune system, can it take advantage of the vaccine? Perhaps figuring out that is what the tests are for.
  - betterunix2 5y ago
    Actually the immune system does fight HIV during the acute infection stage after a person is first exposed, and antibodies are generated. The immune response to HIV is what does most of the damage to the immune system, since a typical immune response to virus infection involves the destruction of infected cells. HIV infects certain immune cells, which will either self-destruct when the infection is detected or will be destroyed by other immune cells.
    - bayesian_horse 5y ago
      Also, some people actually develop the so called "broadly neutralizing antibodies" and become immune to AIDs as a consequence. There have even be experimental treatments where HIV infected patients who also got Leukemia got treated with radiation, and then a stemcell donation from someone with such an immunity. And they are indeed cured (for practical purposes, there are some details...). Unfortunately, those donors are rare and the radiation therapy etc is probably worse than the chronic antiviral therapy, which is why this is not a more common treatment for HIV. Of course, inducing these particular antibodies has been the goal of various immunization efforts. Unfortunately this proved more challenging than it might seem.
  - bayesian_horse 5y ago
    You are confusing HIV infection and AIDS. The former is the virus, the latter is the end-stage disease. It takes the virus years to reach the viral loads necessary to damage the immune system to a noticeable degree. Sure, HIV has some tricks before that point, but patients are generally not immunocompromised until AIDS enters the picture.
    - BurningFrog 5y ago
      That clears up my confusion. Thanx!