mRNA VACCINE FOR HIV

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Context

The US pharmaceutical and biotech company Moderna, which rolled out the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, recently announced human trials for two HIV vaccines.
These are based on the same platform — mRNA — as Moderna’s Covid vaccine.

Understanding mRNA Vaccines

Traditional Vaccines

Vaccines help prepare the body to fight foreign invaders (pathogens such as bacteria or viruses), to prevent infection.
All vaccines introduce into the body a harmless piece of a particular bacteria or virus, triggering an immune response.
Most vaccines contain a weakened or dead bacteria or virus.

mRNA Vaccines

Scientists have developed a new type of vaccine that uses a molecule called messenger RNA (or mRNA for short) rather than part of an actual bacteria or virus.
Messenger RNA is a type of RNA that is necessary for protein production in our body. In cells, mRNA uses the information in genes to create a blueprint for making proteins. Once cells finish making a protein, they quickly break down the mRNA.
mRNA from vaccines does not enter the nucleus and does not alter DNA.
mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA that corresponds to a viral protein, usually a small piece of a protein found on the virus’s outer membrane. (Individuals who get an mRNA vaccine are not exposed to the virus, nor can they become infected by the vaccine.)
Using this mRNA blueprint, cells produce the viral protein.
As part of a normal immune response, the immune system recognizes that the protein is foreign and produces specialized proteins called antibodies.
Antibodies help protect the body against infection by recognizing individual viruses or other pathogens, attaching to them, and marking the pathogens for destruction.
Once produced, antibodies remain in the body, even after the body has rid itself of the pathogen, so that the immune system can quickly respond if exposed again.
If a person is exposed to a virus after receiving mRNA vaccination for it, antibodies can quickly recognize it, attach to it, and mark it for destruction before it can cause serious illness.

HIV

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system.
If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life.
There were 69,220 new HIV infections and 58,960 AIDS related deaths reported in India in 2019.

Final thoughts

HIV has claimed 36.3 million lives so far, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
There were an estimated 37.7 million living with HIV at the end of 2020.
There is still no cure. However, with increasing access to effective prevention, diagnosis and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition in recent years.
The new mRNA Vaccine could be game changer.

Initiatives taken by India to combat HIV

· ‘Social Contracting’: India’s unique HIV prevention model, which is centered around the concept of ‘Social Contracting’ through which the Targeted Interventions (TI) programme is implemented by the Union Health Ministry. With support from Non-Government Organizations, the programme is aimed at providing outreach, service delivery, counselling & testing and ensuring linkages to HIV care.

· The National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), 2017-24 was launched to achieve elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis as well as elimination of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination by 2020.

· The “Mission Sampark” aims to bring back People Living with HIV who have left treatment after starting Anti Retro Viral Treatment (ART).

· National AIDS Control Programme(NACP) aims to achieve 80% reduction in new HIV infections by 2024 from baseline value of 2010. Further, by 2024, the target is to ensure that 95% of those who are HIV positive in the country know their status, 95% of those who know their status are on treatment and 95% of those who are on treatment experience effective viral load suppression.

· Enactment of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 which has provided a legal and enabling framework for safeguarding the human rights of the infected and affected populations.

· India is committed to achieve the 90-90-90 targets across the country by the end of the current year and also end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

· National AIDS Control Programme is based on three pillars-Prevention, Care-counselling and Treatment.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-modernas-mrna-candidate-brings-new-hope-for-an-hiv-vaccine-7493063/