http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/nati..._20050907.html
Quebec scientist says HIV vaccine could be ready in 5 years
Last Updated Wed, 07 Sep 2005 07:36:29 EDT
CBC News
A Quebec scientist said a vaccine for HIV could be ready in five years. Rafick-Pierre Sékaly is the scientific director of CANVAC, a network for Canadian vaccine research.
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Sékaly spoke Tuesday from the AIDS Vaccine International Conference in Montreal, a gathering for scientists working for a possible vaccine for HIV/AIDS.
Sékaly's research focuses on reinforcing the way an immune system remembers a disease. If a person were vaccinated against HIV, this "memory response" should kick in if the person ever actually becomes infected.
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"We want to understand how memory is made, what are the elements in inducing a strong memory component to the immunological system."
He said tens of thousands of vaccine trials are now underway across the world. And even if they only manage to find a vaccine that's partially effective, it could still save millions of lives.
"If you were able now in Africa to have a vaccine that's only 50 per cent efficacious, it will still prevent two or three million new infections per year."
Sékaly is chairing this year's international AIDS vaccine conference. It runs throughout the week.
