Texas Researchers Aim for Lifelong HIV Vaccine
Texas Researchers Aim for Lifelong HIV Vaccine - Houston Chronicle
In addition to a cure for HIV, a top priority of AIDS researchers is a vaccine that can prevent infection.
Researchers at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio recently applied for a patent for a single-dose vaccine they hope will last a lifetime and help control the HIV epidemic by stopping transmission of the virus.
About 90 percent of HIV infections occur during sexual intercourse when the virus passes through the epithelial cells that line the surfaces of the body.
The genetically engineered vaccine targets stem cells in what are known as the mucosal layers of the epithelium, just below the surface of the skin.