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May 17, 2002
"Edible AIDS Vaccines?"
Boston Globe (www.boston.com/globe) (05/14/02) P. C2; Reucroft, Stephen; Swain, John
According to a study in the April 26th issue of Science, a Texas biologics company is working to develop an edible HIV vaccine. ProdiGene put the genetic make up of SIV gp120, a monkey virus protein that stimulates an immune response, into maize. SIV gp120 is the identical protein used in the injected HIV vaccine currently undergoing clinical trials in Thailand, along with a genetically altered canarypox virus containing HIV genes. Scientists hope that by consuming the vaccine, instead of injecting it, SIV gp 120 will more effectively reach and trigger an immune response in the mucosal tissues, where the virus first takes hold. The edible vaccine is also, say the scientists, an ideal solution in those developing nations where injection campaigns are difficult to administer.
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