The World’s Oldest Monkey Can Help Us Fight HIV
It seems as though we need to go back to the start and fix some of the grave condition that have come about due to our carelessness. As one of the most debilitating conditions out there, which doesn’t have a concrete cure till date researchers have been trying to find a solution to tackle HIV.
Turns out, world's oldest monkeys—the Rhesus—could be prompted to produce neutralising antibodies against one strain of HIV that resembles the resilient viral form that most commonly infects people, reported ANI.
Scientists discovered that they were able to protect animals from HIV by injecting with antibodies that neutralised the virus.
"We found that neutralising antibodies that have been induced by vaccination can protect animals against viruses that look a lot like real-world HIV," said Dennis Burton, a researcher.
The study published in the Journal of Immunity provides proof-of-concept for potential of this HIV vaccine strategy.
The study identified areas in the body that were particularly susceptible to HIV. It also revealed that neutralising antibodies is what was needed to stop the virus.
"This research gives an estimate of the levels of broadly neutralising antibodies that we may need to induce through vaccination in order to protect against HIV globally," Burton said.