NEW DELHI– Scientists in the United States are developing vaccines that could offer long-lasting protection against HIV, Covid-19, and potentially other infectious diseases with just a single dose.
A research team from MIT and the Scripps Research Institute reported promising results in mice after testing a vaccine formulation that combines two different adjuvants — substances that boost the immune system’s response. The dual-adjuvant vaccine was found to accumulate in the lymph nodes, where B cells encounter antigens and rapidly mutate to generate diverse antibodies.
The antigens remained in the lymph nodes for up to a month, enabling the immune system to build a stronger and broader set of antibodies against HIV proteins than vaccines tested with only one adjuvant.
According to MIT professor J. Christopher Love, the strategy may replicate natural infection processes and generate such a robust immune response that only a single shot could be needed. “It offers the opportunity to engineer new formulations for these types of vaccines across a wide range of different diseases, such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, or other pandemic outbreaks,” Love said.
In a parallel development, Russia’s Gamaleya Center — which created the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine — is working on an mRNA-based HIV vaccine. Vladimir Gushchin, head of the institute’s epidemiology department, told state news agency RIA Novosti that researchers are currently creating antigens capable of triggering a broadly neutralizing immune response. The vaccine could be ready within two years if successful.
Gamaleya’s Sputnik V vaccine, launched in August 2020, demonstrated up to 97.8 percent efficacy and has since been approved in nearly 70 countries. Researchers hope to replicate that success with their HIV vaccine candidate. (Source: IANS)
