Vaccine 'clears HIV-like virus' in monkeys

Vaccine 'clears HIV-like virus' in monkeys

11 September 2013 Last updated at 13:26 ET By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service The team looked at a form of SIV that is up to 100 times more deadly than HIV

A vaccine for the monkey equivalent of HIV appears to eradicate the virus, a study suggests.

Research published in the journal Nature has shown that vaccinated monkeys can clear Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) infection from their bodies.

It was effective in nine of the 16 monkeys that were inoculated.

The US scientists say they now want to use a similar approach to test a vaccine for HIV in humans.

Prof Louis Picker, from the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, said: "It's always tough to claim eradication - there could always be a cell which we didn't analyse that has the virus in it. But for the most part, with very stringent criteria... there was no virus left in the body of these monkeys."

Search and destroy

The research team looked at an aggressive form of virus called SIVmac239, which is up to 100 times more deadly than HIV.

Infected monkeys usually die within two years, but in some inoculated primates the virus did not take hold.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

It maintains an armed force, that patrols all the tissues of the body, all the time, indefinitely”

End Quote Prof Louis Picker Oregon Health and Science University

The vaccine is based on another virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV), which belongs to the herpes family.

It used the infectious power of CMV to sweep throughout the body. But instead of causing disease, it has been modified to spur the immune system into action to fight off the SIV molecules.

"It maintains an armed force, that patrols all the tissues of the body, all the time, indefinitely," explained Prof Picker.

The researchers gave rhesus macaque monkeys the vaccine, and then exposed them to SIV.

They found that at first the infection began to establish and spread. But then the monkeys' bodies started to respond, searching out and destroying all signs of the virus.

Of the monkeys that successfully responded to the vaccine, they were still clear of infection between one-and-a-half and three years later.

Prof Picker said his team was still trying to work out why the vaccination worked in only about half of the monkeys.

"It could be the fact that SIV is so pathogenic that this is the best you are ever going to get.

"There is a battle going on, and half the time the vaccine wins and half the time it doesn't," he said.

Human trials

The researchers are now testing the vaccine to see if it can be used after SIV exposure to treat and potentially cure infected monkeys.

They also want to see if the technique could work in humans.

Prof Picker said: "In order to make a human version we have to make sure it is absolutely safe.

The researchers now want to move from monkeys to test the vaccine in humans

"We have now engineered a CMV virus which generates the same immune response but has been attenuated [modified to lose its virulence] to the point where we think it is unequivocally safe."

This would first have to pass through the regulatory authorities, but if it does, he said he hoped to start the first clinical trials in humans in the next two years.

Commenting on the research, Dr Andrew Freedman, from Cardiff University School of Medicine, said: "This suggests that prophylactic vaccines - vaccines designed to prevent infection - using CMV vectors may be a promising approach for HIV.

"While they may not prevent the initial infection, they might lead to subsequent clearance, rather than the establishment of chronic infection."

US measles cases in 2013 may be most in 17 years

US measles cases in 2013 may be most in 17 years

(CNN) -- This year is on track to be the worst for measles in more than a decade, according to new numbers released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And people who refuse to vaccinate their children are behind the increasing number of outbreaks, health officials say.

There were 159 cases of measles in the United States from January 1 through August 24, according to the CDC. If that trend continues, there will be more cases in 2013 than in any year since 1996, when some 500 cases were reported. The number would also surpass that of 2011, when there were 222 cases.

Measles cases in the United States numbered in the hundreds of thousands before the advent of vaccination, and dropped dramatically throughout the 1960s. The disease was thought to have been eradicated in 2000, but the numbers have recently crept back up, largely because of visitors from countries where measles is common and because of vaccine objectors within the United States. Nearly two-thirds of the reported cases happened in three outbreaks in communities where many people don't vaccinate their children for religious or philosophical reasons.

"This is very bad. This is horrible," said Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University who was on a telephone briefing with the CDC Thursday morning. "The complications of measles are not to be toyed with, and they're not altogether rare."

According to the CDC, one to three out of every 1,000 children in the United States who get measles will die from the disease, even with the best of care. Even if complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis aren't deadly, they can make children very sick; in 2011, nearly 40% of children under the age of 5 who got measles had to be treated in the hospital.

Measles usually starts with a fever, which can get very high, followed by a cough, runny nose and red eyes. Soon a rash of tiny, red spots will start at the head and spread to the rest of the body. The rash can last a week and coughing can last for up to 10 days.

Measles outbreak Measles outbreak at faith-healing church

Creech said he's concerned younger physicians might not be quick to recognize the signs of measles, since there have been only pockets of the disease since 2000.

"Many young pediatricians might not know what measles looks like," he said.

Among those who have been stricken with measles this year, 92% were not vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. The largest outbreak was in New York, where 58 people contracted measles in a community where many refuse to be vaccinated for religious reasons.

Those who choose not to vaccinate put other people's babies at risk, since babies cannot be vaccinated until their first birthday, and are therefore vulnerable to the disease.

"I hope that those who are vaccine hesitant or vaccine avoidant realize there are consequences to their actions," Creech said. "None of us lives in isolation."

Ex-staffer: Church counseled faith, not shots, for measles

Why Can't We End AIDS?

Why Can't We End AIDS?

Clinton’s push (and the accompanying dollars) led to genuine excitement in the HIV vaccine field. The excitement met reality in 2007, however, when the lead vaccine candidate in the trial, called the Step trial, proved not only ineffective but dangerous. Vaccine recipients actually had a higher rate of infection,  prompting rapid closure of the trial. But work has pushed on. In the darkness that followed the failure of the Step trial came results from a less widely advertised and seemingly less promising vaccine, called RV 144, in volunteers in Thailand. A modest benefit was shown and additional examination of results has identified a specific immune response that seems to predict a clinical response â€" a place, finally, maybe, for scientists to set up shop .  The finding was so exciting that one group, despite the dismal track record of past predictions, declared that the world should have a real HIV vaccine by 2019.

Vaccine cured monkeys of AIDS-causing virus: scientists

Vaccine cured monkeys of AIDS-causing virus: scientists

A promising HIV vaccine developed by researchers at Oregon Health Science University eradicated the virus that causes AIDS in monkeys, and scientists hope something similar can soon be tested on humans.

AIDS in non-human primates is caused by simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which is similar to HIV but up to 100 times more deadly, BBC News reported. The research showed that half of the monkeys given the vaccine responded to it and were "completely clear" of SIV.

RELATED: STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS WIPE OUT HIV IN TWO MEN: RESEARCHERS

The researchers created the vaccine from a modified version of a common virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV). They said it prompted the monkeys' white blood cells to seek out and destroy the SIV-infected cells.

"Through this method we were able to teach the monkey's body to better 'prepare its defenses' to combat the disease," Louis Picker, associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, said in a press release.

RELATED: PILL MAY PREVENT HIV IN INJECTION DRUG USERS: STUDY

The team tried the vaccine on 16 rhesus macaque monkeys and then infected them with SIV about two months later. Seven of the monkeys didn't make it. In the other nine, the virus started to take hold before the vaccine kicked in.

Eight of the monkeys showed no sign of infection after a year and remained SIV-free three years later. Low levels of the virus did reappear in one of the monkeys, researchers said.

RELATED: EARLY SIGNS FOR HIV CURE 'PROMISING': DANISH SCIENTISTS

The team then injected blood and lymph cells from the eight apparently cured rhesus macaques into other monkeys. They said none of those monkeys became infected.

Researchers are now investigating why the vaccine only worked on a portion of the monkeys. They also want to see if it will be effective in humans.

"This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body," Picker said.

The results were published online by the journal Nature and will later appear in print.

Man dies from West Nile virus in Manitoba

Man dies from West Nile virus in Manitoba

A man in his 80s has died as a result of West Nile virus in Manitoba.

It is the first death reported since January 2008 and the eighth death since the province began collecting information on the virus, according to Manitoba Health.

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The man, a resident of the Interlake-Eastern Health Region, had West Nile virus neurological syndrome, a rare but more serious condit ion caused by the virus, Manitoba Health stated in a news release.

It is believed he was exposed to the virus in that health region during the first half of August.

The province is not being more specific about the area or releasing any more information on the man in order to protect his privacy.

Human cases of West Nile virus were first reported in Manitoba in 2003.

The province previously reported this year's first human case of infection on Aug. 22, involving a woman in her 40s who experienced mild symptoms.

Dr. Margaret Fast is the medical officer of health for Manitoba.

She said the risk of being exposed to the virus is low at this time of year, but it isn’t eliminated.

“There are still some culex tarsalis out there, but they are at the end of their biting season as well, though,” she said. “We are at the tail end of the season, but we are still advising people to take precautions.”

With shorter days and cooler temperatures, mosquitoes are more likely to bite late in the afternoon and early in the evening.

Fast said some people will only experience symptoms days after being exposed.

“You may develop some fever and maybe a bit of nausea, maybe you just feel unwell and under the weather,” she said, adding it could feel similar a flu-like illness.

The province is advising people to cover up and use insect repellent when outdoors to protect themselves.

There will continue to be a risk of exposure to the virus until the weather becomes colder or until the first hard frost.

First lady: Water increases energy

First lady: Water increases energy

The nation’s most prominent anti-obesity crusader, first lady Michelle Obama, has turned her attention to beverages and is encouraging Americans to drink more water.

Mrs. Obama’s “Drink Up” campaign was unveiled Thursday at an event in Watertown, Wis. â€" a town where, ironically, the soda industry is a key cog in the economy.

While the soft drink industry has endorsed the effort, it’s coming under fire from other quarters, most notably some in medicine who believe it is overselling the virtues of H20.

Few dispute water’s overall health benefits, but questions surround whether the first lady and others have gone too far by suggesting, among other things, that increased water consumption leads to increased energy.

“It’s not a very scientific approach they’ve taken The idea drinking water increases energy, the word I’ve used to describe it is quixotic,” Stanley Goldfar b, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told Politico on Thursday, one of several specialists puzzled by the new effort.

The “Drink Up” initiative has a very narrow aim. Proponents â€" including actress Eva Longoria, who joined Mrs. Obama in Watertown on Thursday â€" aren’t recommending a specific amount of water each day, nor are they explicitly asking Americans to use it as a substitute for soda, beer and other drinks.

Instead, the campaign simply wants everyone to drink one more glass of water every 24 hours, regardless of how much or how little one already consumes each day.

“It doesn’t matter where you get it from â€" the tap, a water bottle, a water fountain â€" just drink one more glass of water a day,” Mrs. Obama said Thursday, addressing a crowd of Watertown High School students. The town was chosen not only because of its undeniably fitting name, but also because it’s been recognized by the American Water Associ ation as having the cleanest water in Wisconsin.

“If we all do this, if we all drink up, we’ll all feel better,” Mrs. Obama continued. “We’ll all have more energy, we will have more focused students, we will have more productive workplaces and we will have vibrant neighborhoods and a healthier country. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.”

Before Mrs. Obama spoke, she apparently had to assure local officials she wouldn’t bad-mouth the soda industry, public enemy No. 1 in the first lady’s ongoing anti-obesity campaigns and efforts to get healthier food and drink into school cafeterias.

Watertown is home to Wis-Pak, a leading manufacturer and distributor of soft drinks, and Mayor John David admitted he initially feared Mrs. Obama would come to town and take soda to task.

“That was a concern. I have been assured on different occasions that there is no soda-bashing here,” he told Milwaukee’s Fox 6 TV station.

In fact, th e American Beverage Association on Thursday voiced strong support for the effort, pointing out that its companies are the ones producing bottled water.

“Staying hydrated is important to staying in balance, and bottled water provides people with a convenient and popular choice,” said Susan Neely, the association’s president and CEO. “By supporting this new initiative, our industry is once again leading with meaningful ways to achieve a balanced lifestyle.”

Stem cells generated in live mice

Stem cells generated in live mice

Featured Article
Academic Journal
Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 12 Sep 2013 - 8:00 PDT

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A team of scientists in Spain has reprogrammed adult cells in live mice to revert to stem cells that appear as potent as embryonic stem cells.

The team reports its findings online this week in the journal Nature. The study is the first to achieve in living tissue what so far has only been possible in a petri dish.

Embryonic stem cells represent the "gold standard" in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, since they are the only stem cells capable of differentiating into any of the hundreds of cell types in the body.

The hope is that harnessing this ability to differentiate into any cell type will lead to treatments that can cure diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

However, there are ethical problems about sourcing embryonic stem cells, as well as practical difficulties, since they have a very short lifespan during the early development of the embryo.

Thus, there is a need to find alternative ways to make stem cells that are as good as embryonic stem cells.

One possibility that has been hotly pursued is to try and "reverse engineer" adult cells - that is, cells that once used to be stem cells but have fully differentiated into a particular type of cell - back to their undifferentiated, primitive state.

In 2006, a Japanese team led by Shinya Yamanaka showed it was possible, in cell culture using just four genes, to reprogram adult cells to behave almost like embryonic stem cells. They named the cells induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2012 in recognition of the importance of this work to regenerative medicine.

"Totipotent" stem cells generated without petri dish

In this latest study, scientists led by Dr. Manuel Serrano, a cancer researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), managed to generate directly in live mice what Yamanaka and colleagues achieved, but without the need to pass through the petri dish stage.

The team also found the stem cells they generated were even more like embryonic stem cells than those made using cultured cells. They say their cells' ability to differentiate is more than pluripotent, it is "totipotent," a primitive state that has never before been generated in the lab.

They say the state of undifferentiation they achieved in the totipotent stem cells is equivalent to that found in human embryos at the 72-hour stage of development, when they comprise only 16 cells.

This represents a much earlier embryonic state than that shown by iPSCs, with greater capacity for differentiation, and potentially placing the totipotent stem cells closer to the gold standard.

Regenerating tissue in place of damaged tissue

Researchers managed to manipulate cells in live mice by activating four genes, resulting in embryonic stem cells in adult tissues and organs.

The team believes the achievement brings the potential to use stem cell technology in regenerative medicine a step closer.

They managed to genetically manipulate adult cells in living mice by activating the four genes from the Yamanaka experiment and make the cells regress to an earlier evolutionary state. In effect, the cells became embryonic stem cells in multiple adult tissues and organs.

This has never been seen before in nature, says lead author María Abad.

Dr. Serrano, who is director of the Molecular Oncology Program and head of the Tumoral Suppression Laboratory at CNIO, adds:

"We can now start to think about methods for inducing regeneration locally and in a transitory manner for a particular damaged tissue."

Totipotent stem cells are more versatile

The totipotent stem cells even produced (in the chest and abdominal cavities of the mice) tissue structures that occur in the early stages of a new embryo.

These included the three types of tissue (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm) that develop in embryos and external structures, like the Vitelline membrane, as well as early signs of blood cells.

Serrano says this suggests their stem cells are more versatile than iPSCs produced in the lab, "whose potency generates the different layers of the embryo but never tissues that sustain the development of a new embryo, like the placenta."

He and his colleagues were also able to make the stem cells survive outside of mice, in a culture. This makes it easier to manipulate them and carry out further experiments.

While the step they have taken is a huge one and sends regenerative medicine and tissue engineering research in a new direction, the researchers say they still have far to go before their stem cells are ready for any kind of clinical use.

They now plan to find out if their new stem cells can produce different tissue types, such as that of organs like the pancreas, liver and kidney.

The Spanish Ministry of Economy Competitiveness, the European Research Council, the Madrid regional government, and the AXA, Botín, and Ramón Areces Foundations funded the team's work.

In another paper published recently, scientists in China reported how they found a safe and easy way to make stem cells.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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• Citations

Reprogramming in vivo produces teratomas and iPS cells with totipotency features; María Abad, Lluc Mosteiro, Cristina Pantoja, Marta Cañamero, Teresa Rayon, Inmaculada Ors, Osvaldo Graña, Diego Megías, Orlando Domínguez, Dolores Martínez, Miguel Manzanares, Sagrario Ortega Manuel Serrano; Nature Published online 11 September 2013; DOI:10.1038/nature12586; Abstract.

Additional source: Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) news release (pdf) 11 September 2013.

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Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
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MNT (logo) is the registered trade mark of MediLexicon Int. Limited.