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New immune treatment may control AIDS virus
Reuters ^ | Fri May 2, 2008 7:00pm EDT | Maggie Fox

Posted on 05/02/2008 8:31:50 PM PDT by james500

A new type of treatment that trains immune system cells to better recognize the AIDS virus may help control the deadly and incurable infection, Australian researchers reported on Friday.

Tests on monkeys infected with a similar virus shows the treatment controlled the infection, although it does not cure it, and tests are already planned in people.

The treatment is called OPAL, for Overlapping Peptide-pulsed Autologous Cells, and would be categorized as an immunotherapy technique, or a so-called therapeutic vaccine, Stephen Kent of the University of Melbourne and colleagues said.

Writing in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Pathogens, they said the treatment involves mixing a patient's own blood cells with tiny bits of protein from the virus.

These cells are then re-infused into the patient.

"Levels of virus in vaccinated monkeys were 10-fold lower than in controls, and this was durable for over one year after the initial vaccinations," they wrote.

"The immunotherapy resulted in fewer deaths from AIDS. We conclude this is a promising immunotherapy technique. Trials in HIV-infected humans of OPAL therapy are planned."

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: health; immunology; opal; science
The link in the article didn't work for me. Here's a link from their home page to the paper:

http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1000055

1 posted on 05/02/2008 8:31:50 PM PDT by james500
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To: james500
how about:

Control of Viremia and Prevention of AIDS following Immunotherapy of SIV-Infected Macaques with Peptide-Pulsed Blood
2 posted on 05/02/2008 8:33:14 PM PDT by james500
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To: james500

OPAL = Tylenol for Homos.


3 posted on 05/02/2008 8:40:39 PM PDT by The_Republican (Ovaries of the World Unite! Rush, Laura, Ann, Greta - Time for the Ovulation!)
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To: The_Republican

O = orgasmic
P = pleasure
A = absent
L = limits


4 posted on 05/02/2008 8:53:34 PM PDT by lightman (Waiting for Godot and searching for Avignon.)
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To: james500

I honestly hope this treatment works.


5 posted on 05/02/2008 8:54:05 PM PDT by arderkrag (Libertarian Nutcase (Political Compass Coordinates: 9.00, -2.62 - www.politicalcompass.org))
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To: james500

Good news. Hope this works for human AIDS.


6 posted on 05/02/2008 9:06:24 PM PDT by TChad
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To: TChad

This isn’t a cure or technically a vaccine. You normally take a vaccine to prevent acquiring a virus. The only people who woudl even take this would already be infected - you put this in a healthy person and you’ve just given them HIV.


7 posted on 05/02/2008 9:17:53 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

“The treatment appears to work best if started right after someone becomes infected.”

After a rape, for example.


8 posted on 05/02/2008 9:31:01 PM PDT by james500
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To: Secret Agent Man
This isn’t a cure or technically a vaccine.

It is a vaccine. Search the page for "subunit."

you put this in a healthy person and you’ve just given them HIV.

No. The peptide strings by themselves are not infectious.

9 posted on 05/02/2008 10:00:27 PM PDT by TChad
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To: TChad

Melbourne also has a very interesting and very small publicly listed biotech called Benitec Australia Ltd (ASX BLT) see http://www.benitec.com who are working with Dr John Rossi at the City of Hope Hospital in California. They are running a patient HIV trial at the hospital using gene silencing technology. This is a new frontier in medicine and involves a process that can “turn off” “bad” cells in the body (my rough laymans translation of the process which also involves removing the patients blood to infuse it and return it to the patient). Dr Rossi is reporting postive results from these very early trials in various papers that have and are being presented in the USA. The technology has applications in a wide variety of illnesses.


10 posted on 05/02/2008 10:40:25 PM PDT by sydneysider
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To: james500

Great plan, Einsteins! Now someone who would infect 10 other people before dieing will live long enough to infect 100 people.


11 posted on 05/02/2008 11:01:54 PM PDT by 1955Ford
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To: 1955Ford

Hello, there are people who’ve contracted HIV from sources other than sexual or drug-related ones.

Through hospitals, for instance.


12 posted on 05/03/2008 12:23:44 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: CarrotAndStick
there are people who’ve contracted HIV from sources other than sexual or drug-related ones.

A miniscule percentage. Aids is mostly a voluntary infection.

13 posted on 05/03/2008 12:27:53 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (It takes a father to raise a child.)
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To: james500

Why don’t they just give people whatever Magic Johnson has been taking? Seems he’s been going on 15+ years with no visual signs of the virus.


14 posted on 05/03/2008 12:37:41 AM PDT by Azzurri
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To: Jeff Chandler

Whatever it is. Leaving a potent disease without a cure, or without striving for one, is insanity. All that the virus has to do is mutate to be transmissible by more benign means.


15 posted on 05/03/2008 12:41:06 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: CarrotAndStick
Leaving a potent disease without a cure, or without striving for one, is insanity.

Without striving for a cure? Have you seen the money they throw at HIV? (For a disease that people get by poking themselves and each other?)

16 posted on 05/03/2008 10:38:23 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (It takes a father to raise a child.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

If they’re spending money for AIDS research disproportionately compared to other deadly diseases, then yea, that’s a problem.

I just don’t want deadly diseases lying around with no one doing anything about them.


17 posted on 05/03/2008 11:05:24 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: james500

THANKS, bfl


18 posted on 05/03/2008 12:56:44 PM PDT by neverdem (I'm praying for a Divine Intervention.)
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