The National Polytechnic Institute's School of Higher Education in Medicine is working on developing a preventative vaccine and potential cure against HIV and AIDS by increasing cellular and humoral immunity as a way to control and possibly eliminate the virus.
Scientists from Spain, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Portugal are participating in the research project, and the project is sponsored by the Ibero-American Science and Technology Development Program (CyTED, Spanish acronym).
To obtain the vaccine, the scientists created a molecular model in bioinformatic programs where they were able to see the exact order of each antigen in 3D. The tool allows them to observe the complete atom in great detail, which allows scientists to use other tools and facilitate their work.
The Bioinformatic and Drug Design Laboratory then performed “virtual” experiments aimed at obtaining the HIV viral protein gp120, which is then synthesized and tested in lab rats to see if their immune systems are capable of producing HIV antibodies.
Saúl Rojas Hernández, a researcher at the university that has developed vaccines for other diseases, such as the so-called “brain-eating amoeba,” is working on developing the vaccine via a nasal spray, since this method is believed to act twice as fast in mucous membranes.
The project for developing inmunotherapies uses dendritic cells due to their ability to regulate the immune response against the HIV. This basically works by drawing blood from a patient, “training” blood cells and returning the blood back to the same patient with these new HIV antibodies.
This therapy eliminates the possibility of any transfusion reactions since the patient's own blood is used.
According to the early results obtained from the lab rats, it is possible to generate antibodies and obtain an immune response against the HIV, both using the vaccine and the treatment.