New HIV vaccine promises to protect people against toughest strains

The federal government estimates that there are more than one million people living with HIV to date in the U.S. Among these people, one in every seven may not know that they are infected. Researchers from Scripps Research Institute hope to reduce the number of people contracting the virus with a new HIV vaccine. The team said they were able to block the “death star” strain that has been preventing scientists from creating an effective treatment for HIV. The strain, called SIVmac239, is widely known in the scientific community for being “indestructible.” However, the Scripps team said their HIV vaccine was able to fight death star and another hard-to-fight strain. The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, states the approach has the potential to protect uninfected individuals from multiple forms of HIV. In addition, the vaccine showed durability during tests. A single shot provided animal subjects with long-term defense against the infection. “We...