Essay on HIV Vaccine Research is published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality Essay on Essay on HIV Vaccine Research at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.

Some pharmaceutical companies claim that the high costs of R&D and the relatively low return on their investments (because the period of patent protection is limited to seven years) leave little financial incentive to develop new HIV/AIDS drugs. Development of such drugs is, for better or worse, an economically driven, rather than strictly humanitarian, enterprise. Similarly, the companies allege that they have little economic motivation to research and develop HIV vaccines. In February 1996 Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), issued guidelines to promote cooperation between the government and private industry. The plan's goal was to overcome the alleged unfavorable market forces that have caused some companies to abandon research of potential HIV vaccines.

Such vaccine efforts continue. In the press release ''NIAID and Merck to Collaborate on HIV Vaccine Development'' (December 20, 2001), NIAID and the international HIV Vaccine Trials Network announce an agreement with Merck, a leading manufacturer of anti-HIV compounds, to support the evaluation of promising HIV vaccines.

According to the San Francisco Center for HIV Information, thirteen vaccine trials were in progress in 2007. In addition, five trials were completed in 2006 and one in 2007.

The design of the vaccines currently under trial is varied. Some vaccines use a weakened and medically safe version of viruses as a delivery vehicle to carry various HIV genes into the human participants. The hope is that antibody production to the HIV critical proteins encoded by these genes will occur and that this production will offer protection from HIV infection. Other vaccines use a DNA plasmid to ferry HIV genes into the human participants; the aim again is to stimulate antibody production.

There are problems of experimental design and ethical considerations involved in vaccine trials using human volunteers. Most volunteers for the vaccine have behaviors that put them at risk for contracting HIV. Some may mistakenly believe that participating in the clinical trial of an experimental vaccine--which may be a vaccine or a placebo--protects them and, with a false sense of security, they may resume high-risk behaviors. Vaccines may also be made using recombinant DNA technology--DNA that has been altered by joining genetic material from two different sources.

Despite optimistic projections in the early 1990s that a vaccine would be found in a few short years, a considerable number of promising experimental HIV vaccines have proven ineffective against strains of HIV taken from infected people. Researchers reported developing antibodies that worked successfully against HIV grown in test tubes, but in every case they failed when used against HIV in human beings. According to Gina Kolata, in ''Prospects for AIDS Vaccine Dim as New Tests Show Wide Failures'' (New York Times, November 13, 1993), Fauci commented that the results of the initial vaccine research were ''cause for some sober reflection.'' As of 2007, none of the candidate vaccines had shown sufficient promise to warrant manufacture, approval, and widespread use.

In ''F.D.A. Authorizes First Full Testing for H.I.V. Vaccine'' (New York Times, June 4, 1998), Lawrence K. Altman indicates that in 1998 the FDA granted permission to VaxGen to conduct the first full-scale test of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. The VaxGen vaccine--a genetically engineered molecule called AIDSvax--had been found safe in tests involving twelve hundred volunteers in March 1992, with more than 99% of the vaccinated participants producing antibodies. The 1998 test involved five thousand volunteers in forty clinics throughout the United States and Canada, and twenty five hundred volunteers in sixteen clinics in Thailand.

AIDSvax is made from part of HIV's outer coat, specifically a molecule called gp120. The molecule functions in the attachment of the virus to host cells. The vaccine does not contain the intact virus, only the gp120 protein from two strains of HIV. (Previous vaccines used one strain.) The two strains of the vaccine that were tested in North America were made with strains common in North America. The vaccine used in Thailand contained strains common to that part of the world. Participants in the North American study were men who have sex with men and uninfected partners of HIV-positive people. In Thailand, volunteers were uninfected intravenous drug users. Two thirds of the North American volunteers were given the vaccine, and the rest received a placebo. In Thailand, half the group received the vaccine and half were given a placebo. The four-year trial ended in 2002.

The trial results were reported in February 2003. The American Foundation for AIDS explains in ''Research Vaccine Candidate Fails to Prevent Infection'' (February 28, 2003) that AIDSvax was determined to be a failure, as the comparison of those who received the vaccine versus those receiving a placebo demonstrated a meager 3.8% reduction in new HIV infections in the vaccine population. This result is statistically insignificant. Surprisingly, Asian-Americans and African-Americans who received the vaccine displayed an astounding 67% lower rate of infection than their racial counterparts who received the placebo. Considerable debate has arisen concerning these latter observations. Was this a statistical fluke? Or did AIDSvax display demographically specific protection, and if so, why?

Even though health officials and AIDS activists are hopeful, scientists are divided over when and which experimental vaccines should be approved for full-scale testing. Some favor trying any promising vaccine, whereas others advise waiting until the vaccine is completely understood before testing it. The results of the AIDSvax trial could sway the argument toward the latter camp.

One potential problem with AIDSvax, and perhaps a partial explanation of the poor overall results, is that previous tests indicated that it boosted only one part of the immune system--the component of the immune system responsible for antibody production. It is generally believed that a truly effective anti-HIV vaccine must boost another part of the immune system: the killer T cells that destroy virus-infected cells. Some experts consider the vaccine a long shot, but others point out that a failed vaccine does not mean that the experiment failed. Negative results can teach researchers what not to do in the future.

In 2000 the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) opened on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The facility brings together private companies and federal agencies to research, develop, and produce vaccines. The VRC is not exclusively devoted to HIV research and works to develop vaccines for other diseases.

The first testing at VRC began in October 2001 and was a study of VRC-001-VP, a DNA vaccine that contains tiny amounts of reengineered HIV DNA. The clinical trial of VRC-001-VP involved volunteers who were not necessarily at risk for HIV infection and sought to answer questions about how the immune system responds to the vaccine and the best timing for administering second and third doses of the vaccine.

The results demonstrated that the vaccine was safe, well tolerated by the volunteers, and could induce immune responses. Beginning in December 2003 a larger clinical trial of the vaccine began. Encouraging results from the trial prompted a larger clinical trial, which began in 2005.

Even though most researchers are optimistic that an effective vaccine will be developed, many believe that perfecting a vaccine will take years. Researchers at the VRC believe that more than one vaccine formulation, or a vaccine that works two ways--to boost immunity provided by T cells and to produce antibodies to attach to HIV and mark it for destruction--may be necessary to provide complete protection.

May 18, 2007, marked the tenth annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day and provided an opportunity to recount the more than two decades of progress in the search for a safe, effective HIV vaccine. A statement from the NIAID officials Margaret I. Johnston, Gary J. Nabel, and Fauci to commemorate the day described two ongoing efficacy trials. The first is a six-thousand-person trial in Thailand and the other is a three-thousand-person trial in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Australia. Both trials are slated to conclude in the 2009. The results of another three-thousand-person trial in South Africa will follow. The statement concludes that even though neither vaccine trial is expected to immediately produce a licensed vaccine, each will contribute to the growing body of knowledge and help direct future efforts.

Free essays are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can order a term paper, research paper or custom TOPIC at our site which offers professional essay writing services. Get your high quality custom paper at relatively cheap prices. EssayEmpire is the best solution for those who seek help in essay writing related to TOPIC and other relevant topics.