FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2005 (HealthDayNews) -- An artificial HIV gene could help in efforts to develop an HIV vaccine, say Duke University Medical Center scientists.
They found the protein produced by an artificial HIV-1 gene called CON6 triggered anti-HIV-1 immune responses in animals. This kind of protein could serve as the basis for vaccines to protect against various HIV strains.
Demonstrating that artificial genes produce biologically functional proteins is a major advance in the development of an HIV vaccine, the researchers said.
"This study is proof that we can induce both cellular and humoral immune responses using an artificial HIV-1 gene. This is a beachhead from which we can move forward in vaccine development," study author Dr. Feng Gao, an associate research professor of medicine, said in a prepared statement.
Cellular immune responses are those made by specialized immune cells called killer T-cells, and helper T-cells. Antibodies circulating in the blood are responsible for humoral immune responses, the researchers said.
The study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Virology.
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