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What is this about HIV antibody cure with the human immune system?
I was reading in the news today about HIV and AIDS. Something about the antibodies being fought off by our natural immune system. I am thinking: Is this a cure for HIV or AIDS?
I am confused though in my reading. Can someone please explain what these articles are talking about exactly? Maybe it's the medical lingo that is getting me confused, I'm not sure, but I don't want to misread this information and go around sounding like an idiot.
Did they find a cure for AIDS then by using our own immune systems?
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From what I've gathered, the scientists have found antibodies that can block the HIV virus. The antibodies are found in people who are infected with HIV. Antibodies are the thing that allow you to fight off sickness: when you're immunized against something, you are given a tiny, tiny bit of neutralized virus so that your body can begin to produce antibodies. If you get the virus, then your body is already prepared to fight it and you won't feel the effects as badly.
They need to make sure that the most effective antibody, which was only found in one person, is present in other people and not just a fluke. It shows up after a few years of being infected.
What they're hoping to do is to create a vaccine that will make a person produce antibodies without actually having to inject the HIV virus, since it's dangerous. They want to manipulate the immune system so that it produces the antibodies on its own.
What they're aiming for isn't a CURE for HIV. It's a preventive vaccine, like the ones you get for measles or smallpox. And it's a vaccine for HIV, not AIDS, because AIDS is a condition resulting from exposure to HIV.
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