Brand-New Vaccine Strategy Works Against Herpes, And Potentially HIV
Memory T Cells Illustration by Michael Helfenbein via YaleNewsCoaxing T cells to combat genital herpes at the source is good. Talking them into blocking HIV is even better. Yale researchers developing a new technique for vaccination against genital herpes have succeeded, but their research may have implications far beyond what they set out to accomplish. Employing a two-part immune-system-boosting strategy known as "prime and pull," the researchers have effectively coaxed the body's own antibodies into setting up a defensive blockade in tissues that formerly were not conducive to such immune responses. In doing so, they may have found a mechanism that is effective in preventing not only herpes, but other sexually transmitted infections as well--infections like the AIDS-causing HIV-1. Vaccines generally work by boosting the bodies own inherent immune responses to certain pathogens, but for certain kinds of infections this kind of vaccination has proven difficult. This has to do with...