Please note The Origins of HIV part 2 will continue next week to ensure we have collected the most accurate and up to date information on this topic. Please enjoy this week's article written by Shweta Sah , an AIDS Calgary Awareness Association volunteer blog writer. Shweta is a 1st year M.Sc. Medicine student in the University of Calgary.
Dr. Yan Shi and his lab at the University of Calgary have been trying to develop a form of alum that would be an efficient and effective immune booster against human infections, such as malaria and HIV. Alum was first given to humans as part of a tetanus shot in the 1950’s. Since then, it has been widely used as an adjuvant (or agent that enhances an immune response) for boosting the immune system in human beings. After three years, they have finally found an answer; a potent form of alum that can act as a future vaccine.
Dr. Yan Shi and his team have unravelled the mechanisms of interaction between HIV antigen (a molecule that specifically binds to an antibody) and antibody, and also describe how alum would contribute to the vaccine development in fighting against the HIV antigen. The team’s research has gained national and international media attention, and their paper discussing the potential vaccine has also been published in the online edition of prestigious science magazine Nature Medicine.
Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Dr. Shi, where he mentioned that these finding have set the platform for future vaccine developments.
What is alum?
Alum is a crystalline salt of trivalent metals, like aluminum, chromium, iron, and monovalent metals, such as sodium or potassium. Alum is a very promising adjuvant, or the agent that can be added to a vaccine to stimulate the immune response against HIV antigens. Although there is no current vaccine for HIV, the consistent use of alum in vaccine development means there may be potential for solving this mystery.
What techniques were used?
The University of Calgary lab uses a technique called single cell force spectroscopy which enables the team to study individual cells and their respective response to alum. Alum has an affinity towards dendritic cells and the study is based on this interaction. Dendritic cells are a group of immune cells that bind strongly with CD4 cells, a key component to our immune system and the primary target of HIV. This interaction between alum and dendritic cells leads to an unexpected immune cell activation, which then provides alum the ability to be a potent immune booster.
What are the challenges and the next steps in research?
The development of an HIV vaccine is still a major challenge for many reasons. Vaccines must go through many clinical trials before they are considered safe for public use. This can take years and can be extremely expensive.
The next steps to using Dr. Shi’s research team’s discoveries would then be to improve alum properties so they are a better fit for specific vaccines (such as HIV or malaria), and then manipulate the immune responses as needed.
University of Calgary research team has acknowledged that in spite of the challenges and hurdles in the path of discovery, they believe it is important to one day achieve a vaccine for HIV.
Funding and collaboration
The University of Calgary team is working in collaboration with American National Institute of Health (NIH), who is the major funding agency for their research.
Resources
1. Flach TL, Ng G, Hari A, Desrosiers MD, Zhang P, Ward SM, Seamone ME, Vilaysane A, Mucsi AD, Fong Y, Prenner E, Ling CC, Tschopp J, Muruve DA, Amrein MW, Y.Shi. Alum interaction with dendritic cell membrane lipids is essential for its adjuvanticity. Nat Med. 2011 Apr;17(4):479-87. ( Preview in Nature medicine)
2. http://www.catie.ca/eng/Home.shtml
3. http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/University+Calgary+research+produce+better+vaccines/4440401/story.html
4.http://aidscalgary.blogspot.com/
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