New vaccine protects monkeys against HIV

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http://lgbtweekly.com/2012/01/04/new-vaccine-protects-monkeys-against-hiv/

A new experimental vaccine shows promise in helping to protect some mammals against contracting the HIV virus, an auto-immune deficiency disease that often leads to AIDS. Scientists have used the vaccine on monkeys with a level of success, and hope to eventually develop the vaccine for human use, ABC News is reporting.

The study published in the medical journal Nature indicates that the vaccine may be capable of preventing the contraction of the HIV virus when exposed to even the most unusual strains. Monkeys who were vaccinated against the SIV virus, the HIV version of the disease found in monkeys, reduced their risk of contracting the disease by 80 percent.

If the monkeys did become infected, the virus was concentrated at a lower level than other monkeys who were not given the vaccine.

The success of the vaccines has been attributed by an element, Env, an antibody capable of destroying the HIV virus.