AIDS Vaccine Available Within 10 Years, US Health Expert Says

Researchers are optimistic an AIDS vaccine will be available within 10 years, but it is unlikely to be fully effective against all strains of the virus, a US health expert said Sunday. Margaret Johnston, associate director of AIDS vaccines at the National Institutes of Health, said there are dozens of vaccine prototypes under development around the world, with some 9,000 people participating in clinical trials.

"There's never been more optimism than there is now that an HIV vaccine can be identified," Johnston told delegates to the 6th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Melbourne, Australia. Johnston said the most advanced vaccine being tested is GP-120, developed by the California-based VaxGen biotech company. The product is made from a protein that forms the outer surface of the virus and stimulates antibodies to neutralize or stop HIV from spreading. The vaccine is now being tested in Thailand, North America and the Netherlands, and the trials' results could be available as early as next month. If the results are promising, another larger trial over three years would be conducted, she said. Johnston said it is anticipated that a future vaccine would protect people from contracting the virus and prevent its spread when given to those who already have the virus.

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