There will be many themes on the conference program. Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus and immunity research unit at the Institut Pasteur, mentioned them: “ the multiplication of the virus, the reaction of the immune system, the mechanisms that trigger the disease and the possible new therapeutic strategies “.
AIDS: progress for 30 years
” In rich countries, the majority of those infected have access to treatment and, as a result, are not sick. They are treated, they are not cured but their comfort of life is normal in the majority of cases.»Affirms Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus and immunity research unit at the Institut Pasteur.
In 30 years, momentous progress has been made in all areas of AIDS-related research. In 1996, effective treatments were put in place, the triple therapies. Today, many antiviral molecules are available to treat patients.
HIV tomorrow …
“We may be a little crazy, but we hope to have a preventive vaccine in three, four, five, six or seven years“, confides to AFP the American Robert Gallo, researcher in virology.”We have made enormous progress on antibodies that attack proteins in the outer envelope of the virus (…). We have made so much progress in this area that it gives hope“, he adds.
Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus and immunity research unit at the Institut Pasteur, explains that “ there is a great effort to understand why some rare individuals manage to control the infection without treatment. Their immune system is activated normally, but not too much, just enough to control the infection. Understanding these natural infection control mechanisms can lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies “. An alternative to the vaccine, the major current challenge.
Source: Pastor Institute.
