Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - December 4, 1986
A group of industry, government and university researchers says the protein spurs high levels of antibodies that neutralize the virus in test animals such as goats.
But they said it remained to be proved whether the protein could produce enough neutralizing antibodies in humans to protect them against acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Even if effective, a practical preventive vaccine is still years away because extensive safety and effectiveness tests would be required before approval, experts say.
However, the researchers said they had shown that this protein could be inexpensively mass-produced in large, pure quantities using genetically altered bacteria.
Testing on Chimpanzees
Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute, a co-discoverer of the AIDS virus who is a collaborator on the vaccine research, said he was enthusiastic about the latest findings. "We are excited by the results to date and have begun the process of testing the experimental vaccine in chimpanzees," Dr. Gallo said in a statement.
Chimpanzees are the only known animals other than humans that can get AIDS from the virus. Other test animals, such as goats and rabbits, develop antibodies to the virus but do not get the disease.
"We are hopeful that the results of these tests will give us a better idea whether or not this protein fragment has the potential of producing an immune response capable of protecting against the AIDS virus in humans," Dr. Gallo said.
At the time it is inducing antibodies, the whole protein binds with the white blood cells that the AIDS virus seeks, but the segment at issue does not bind with the cells, the experts said. Cell binding may mask other defensive mechanisms that might fight off the virus, they added.
The researchers said in a paper to be published Friday in the journal Science that the the segment of the protein gp120, which coats the AIDS virus, might be a better choice for a vaccine than the whole protein, even though both induce neutralizing antibodies.
How Antibodies Work
Foreign proteins can stimulate a host to produce antibodies against them. These antibodies, also proteins, stick to the foreign substance to inhibit it and serve to guide it to defensive cells that devour it.
The protein fragment work was conducted by Dr. Scott Putney and colleagues of his in the Repligen Corporation, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass. Other researchers involved in the project were at Centocor Inc., a Malvern, Penn., genetic technology company, the Duke University Medical School and the cancer institute.
Dr. Putney said in a telephone interview that the AIDS virus, designated HTLV-3 or LAV, mutates rapidly and that there are many related varieties of it. "A vaccine would have to protect against multiple, mutant forms of the virus," he said.
The protein segment contains regions that are stable and common to all mutations and areas that change to produce variations unique to each one. Dr. Putney said that if the protein area that activates a neutralizing antibody was stable, it alone could be reproduced to make a vaccine to defend against all varieties of the virus.
But if the antibody-producing area was variable, he said researchers would have the harder job of trying to make a vaccine of multiple protein fragments from numerous viruses.
"The gp120 surface protein we're working with has both conserved and variable regions to it, and we're trying to determine where the neutralizing part is located," Dr. Putney said.
861204
AP861206
Copyright © 1986 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1986. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1986. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .