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Get
Involved - Stay Informed
edited
by Bob Rose
AIDS
IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
A special
feature of this year's NABT convention included nine sessions
dealing with the AIDS phenomenon. These sessions were spread
throughout the schedule and every teacher could have attended
at least one. Sessions were lead by panels of expert scientists,
technicians, and educators.
Medical
opinion indicates that AIDS will remain a health emergency
for many years to come. A cure is not in sight, and effective
control poses a challenge, both to the medical profession
and to society as a whole. This is a biological, technological,
and societal issue.
Session
7: Biological Results of AIDS Research. Issue #2, The Prospects
for an AIDS vaccine
The
presenter for this topic was Dr. Wayne C. Koch, National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Some obstacles
to the development of a successful vaccine for the AIDS
virus include:
1.
We do not know what constitutes protective immunity against
HIV.
2.
The genetic variability of HIV is great. The envelope antigens
especially show a high rate of mutation.
3.
HIV shows cell to cell transmission. A vaccine may need
to activate NK and/or T2 cells.
4.
We have no animal model. The chimpanzee can be infected,
but does not present symptoms. The Macaque monkey becomes
infected with a virus similar to HIV called SIV and most
animals die within six months.
5.
Vaccines do not protect against the initial infection.
The initial infection alters the immune system.
Challenges
in Testing Protocol
1.
Recruitment. For phase I, 250 low risk potential
volunteers were contacted. Of these, only 14 have been
vaccinated with the vaccine made from gp 120 envelope antigen.
Of the 50+ individuals that both volunteered and passed
the initial screening, including the ELISA screen, all but
the final 14 showed some unusual bands on the Western Blot.
While these did not indicate HIV exposure, they had to be
eliminated from the test group because the significance
of the banding is unknown.
2.
A successful vaccine will result in seroconversion in the
volunteers. The NIH contacted all the life and health insurance
companies in the USA and secured an agreement to honor a
special ID card to be given to the volunteers indicating
their participation in the test. Confidentiality is a major
concern that is trying to be protected.
3.
Ethics. Difficulties in balancing ethical counseling
of volunteers with efficacy data in phase 3 will occur.
A very large group of volunteers will be required for phase
3, as the counseling of volunteers must educate and encourage
them to avoid high risk behaviors. At the same time experience
indicates that a percentage of volunteers will disregard
such counseling and will engage in high risk activities.
Current
efforts in producing vaccine include (1) recombinant DNA
produced gp 120 (2) recombinant DNA gp 120 gene in vaccinia
virus, (3) recombinant DNA gp 120-vaccinia virus infected
autologous cells, and (4) gp 120 depleted killed virus (gamma
irradiated).
Other
topics covered in different AIDS sessions included: HIV
infection and the Religious Response, National Trends in
the AIDS Epidemic, Historical Parallels Between Tuberculosis
and AIDS, The HIV in Relation to Koch's Postulates, AIDS
and Adolescent Health-A Nationwide View, The Psychology
of Mass Disease: From Leprosy to AIDS, Ethics and AIDS,
Preventing AIDS Through Education, New Developments in Retroviral
Testing, AIDS and the Bureaucracy, and many other topics.
Next
Section: Sponsored
Events, Exhibitors,
Banquet,
Summary,
KABT
takes a look back at 50 years of biology education, Participants
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