30 years later, still no cure for AIDS

A virus is a moving target. And for 30 years, HIV has been constantly on the move making new copies of itself that are slightly different than before, ready to attack the immune system that the body needs to protect itself against a host of pathogens. For scientists looking for a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, it’s been a long search filled with disappointing failures. “There’s no vaccine and no cure. And we can have a debate about which will come first,” said pioneering AIDS researcher Mark Wainberg, director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, who has made significant contributions to the field since the beginning of AIDS when the virus was first isolated in 1983. Wainberg’s team, in collaboration with drug company BioChem Pharma Inc., identified 3TC as an anti-viral drug in 1989, and he says he’s proud to be among the scientists who have helped turn the corner on HIV/AIDS. The quest began...