Researchers may be close to an HIV vaccine—using HIV. According to CNN, researchers announced the findings of their VRX1273 vaccine, which is a genetically altered version of the SIV, the vaccine of HIV found in non-human primates, at the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogens, Treatment, and Prevention in Rome.

After 18 months of a 6 month trial, it was shown that five infected monkeys that were injected with the vaccine three times, had very low undetectable amounts of the virus in their bodies.

This finding has had a great effect on the hopes for a cure for the human population.    

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that 4,883 young adults (around the ages of 13-24), mainly those of minority races and ethnicities were diagnosed with the HIV disease in 2004. Since then, that number has increased by about 13% each year progressing more over to the AIDS disease.

Laurent Humeau, vice president of research and development, believes that he and his team are headed in the right direction and hope to start clinical trials in humans as soon as 18 months with approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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[http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/youth.htm]