Doctors: Given that HIV mutates, will the vaccines that are under develeopment or trials at this time be used like HAART ( or used in conjuntion with it) to rid those infected? Does this sound like good science? Anyway, Doctors, you provide a grat service. Thanks.

Thanks for your questions and comments.

Vaccines (or immune-based therapies) for HIV have been the center of much recent attention. In general there are two therapeutic areas for vaccines-- the first is a preventive vaccine; this is like the vaccine that we get to prevent tetanus or measles; the second is a therapeutic vaccine to treat (and perhaps, eradicate) HIV in persons with established infection.

My hunch is that a treatment vaccine will be used in conjunction with combination antiretroviral therapies (HAART), though until we have specific details and results from initial clinical trials, this remains very, very speculative.

The best science, is basic and clinical science that tries to answer relevant questions in a timely fashion. I truly hope that the advances of the previous 5 years will continue unabated; that we will see practical immune-based, vaccine therapies in the future.

Hope this is helpful, BY