Finding a vaccine for HIV - Dr LeGalle presentation

Who ever learns about how the HIV virus infiltrates human cells and reproduces there can't avoid being fascinated. HIV is a 'smart' virus, like most of the retro viruses. But unlike them, it is killing many people in places such as subsaharan Africa, where I happen to be living.

Dr Legalle, from the Ragon institute, gave a talk in my scientific research class last friday about the flows of the virus that are currently being explored to find a vaccine. Although I didn't fully understand some of the heavy chemistry in the presentation, I could get a valuable sense of the current research on HIV vaccine.

What stroke me the most was the variability and adaptability of the virus. It is amazing how much effort HIV can put into not beiing recognised. It actually can control the number and forms of the protein it generates and that bind to the host membrane. Because they are too few and always different, T helper cells have a hard time recognising them.

What's most sad about all this is reverse transciptase(the process by which HIV is able to get DNA from RNA, thus doing the reverse  of the normal process from RNA to DNA). This process that will generate a strand of DNA that will be combined with the DNA in our cells (sort of stealing our identity to live and reproduce). Reverse transciptase nakes so many mistakes in the process that it is often times absolutely impossible for the body to have a sencondary immune response. Okay... I feel like all this is going over the head of some people, so let me try to make sense of this!

So what happens in your body when you get an infection? The army of white blood cells in your body start arranging themselves to respond to the infection. Then starts primary immune response that can take quite a while.While it is being fought, certain of these soldiers will make sure they get the 'finger print' of the cause of the infecction. This way, the next time the same infection comes, the body doesn't waste time responding to it. This quick and effective response is called the sencondary immune response. Have you ever wondered why you don't get chicken pox twice? ... Your welcome!

So coming back to what I said earlier, because the virus changes it's 'identity' so much, there is almost never this secondary immune response. Now it feels like we are stuck in this seemingly unsolvable dilemma.

However, all hope is not quite lost. Dr Legalle showed many other ways of looking at the HIV infection and virus structure that bring some hope into the equation.

HIV is indeed truly fascinating, but just as scary. The urge to eradicate it in places such as subsaharan Africa is growing bigger and bigger everyday. so if you like science and happen to want to save Africa, this is a good place to be working on - ALA students, hint hint!