Achilles Heel Of HIV found?

[RL3AO]

Surprised this hasn't gotten more coverage. It sounds like it could be big.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715165520.htm

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2008) — Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions.

The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.

Click link to read more

[Category 5]

God I hope this is the breakthrough we've been waiting for. If it is we can save millions of lives.

[Terrell]

I hope that this is the breakthrough that science has been looking for, perhaps it could lead to a vaccine or a cure. Would be nice if we could drive this virus into extinction.

[RL3AO]

CBS did a story on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLf-DC4HV6o

[abajan]

RL3AO, it's not in the interests of pharmaceutical companies to have a vaccine or worse (in their view) a cure for HIV/AIDS or any disease. That's why this story (and countless others) hasn't got more coverage.

Consider the following: It's been known for centuries that Vitamin C cures scurvy. Yet it's illegal (at least in the U.S., unless the relevant law has been changed) to state that fact on a container of Vitamin C tablets. What garbage! Limes (because of their high Vitamin C content) have been used to cure scurvy in this part of the world for centuries.

Don't hold your breath waiting for this HIV breakthrough to get wide coverage.

[Aslkahuna]

Actually, I would think that the companies would WANT the news to come out since think how many big bucks they can make off a vaccine since one would have to basically vaccinate all 6 billion of us humanoids since HIV is a sexually transmitted disease for the most part and sex is a basic instinct in all of us. As far as the FDA is concerned, well that's the Federal Government and one has to expect stupidity from that. Actually, I have seen this story elsewhere-I think the low key approach has to do with the fact that there have been so many false alarms on this topic in the past and the research may have not yet been fully peer reviewed.

Steve