3 Questions: AIDS researchers on new vaccine results
On Thursday, an international research team reported that a new AIDS vaccine tested in more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand protected a small but significant minority against infection. The new results mark the first time any vaccine has shown even partial success in clinical trials. In this interview, Arup Chakraborty, MIT professor of chemical engineering, chemistry and biological engineering, and Bruce Walker, physician and investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital, share their thoughts on the new study. Walker directs the Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Institute, a collaboration between MIT, Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital launched earlier this year with a $100 million gift and the mission to develop an AIDS vaccine. Chakraborty is a team leader at the Institute. Q: What is your reaction to the new study? How big a step forward is this in the search for an AIDS vaccine? A: The data are clearly...