For FIT Biotech's endeavor to lower viral load, Duke University's new found Achilles' heel and North Carolina University's targeted poison are three new researches which may lead to the development of an effective vaccine against HIV.

FIT Biotech In Finland

FIT Biotech in Finland could have developed an extremely effective treatment against HIV that reduces viral load in the human body. New treatment from FIT Biotech may stop HIV progression to AIDS, lower viral loads in host cells and even eliminate infection completely on HIV patients.

The newly developed vaccine requires proven efficacy against the virus and using DNA vaccine with encoded HIV or SIV proteins will allow patients to create T-cells designed to kill HIV. Gene Transport Unit technology is the tool to be used to safely introduce new genes into the body with few side effects, if any may occur.

Combined with antiretroviral drugs, the vaccine will stop infection progression, dramatically reduce the viral load, make HIV infection asymptomatic and totally eliminate the virus.

As of now, FIT Biotech's new vaccine needs to undergo clinical trials to prove its effectiveness in humans.

University Of North Carolina And NIH 'Poison'

Poisoning HIV may not be an insane idea after all which led to researchers from University of Carolina and NIH to develop a targeted poison combined with complement antiretroviral therapy to dramatically reduce HIV replication in infected host cells without the need to eliminate them.

Under clinical trials in 40 mice, the experiment delivered positive results where subjects with combined immunotoxin and antiretroviral drugs got significant reduction on HIV-infected cell counts in multiple organs and blood unlike with subjects which only received antiretroviral drugs.

According to these findings, HIV patients using the same combination may help achieve sustained remission against the disease and may eventually allow the body to control or eliminate HIV without lifetime use of ART

Duke University Discovery

Scientists at Duke University have determined something very important from the envelope protein of HIV. It is called the gp41 membrane proximal external region or MPER which may help focus on a possible HIV vaccine.

According to their research, HIV undergoes a dramatic structural transformation to fuse to a host cell. MPER region of gp41 on the virus is considered as its Achilles' heel, a weakness that future treatments or a vaccine might work to prevent further infection and later stop progression of the disease.

The envelope region near the virus membrane is a specific weakness which allows antibodies to effectively bind and disable it. Creating a drug to expose MPER and let the immune system kill the virus will also need to be proven in humans by undergoing clinical trials.