ICMR/NICED: We have already made HIV Vaccine

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Sunday October 5 2003 00:00 IST

Scientists say AIDS vaccine may be ready in a year

KOLKATA: For those infected with the deadly HIV, there is some good

news. Scientists at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric

Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, who have been working on the AIDS vaccine

say they are close to achieving a breakthrough.

" We have already made the vaccine, " Sekhar Chakrabarti, deputy

director, NICED, who heads the team of researchers working on the

vaccine, told this website's newspaper.

" We have already done toxicological tests on mice and the results are

encouraging. If everything goes well, by 2004 the Indian vaccine

against AIDS will be ready for human trial which would be conducted

at Pune, " Chakrabarti said.

According to official reports, there are an estimated 1.5 lakh people

in the country afflicted with the deadly virus, and there are 930

full-blown AIDS cases.

However, Chakrabarti said they are careful not to let people build up

false hopes and that there are chances of the vaccine's failure.

" Though we hope the vaccine will be a success, there are also chances

of it failing. Even in the US, scientists had once come up with a

vaccine and conducted human trial but it did not work. But, like they

say, even in failure, you learn a lot, " the scientist said.

Why is this particular vaccine they are working on called Indian

vaccine?

Chakrabarti, who has been working on the vaccine since 1983, said the

virus varies from country to country.

" The virus found in the US is different in nature from the one in

India. The Indian virus is more akin to the one in Africa or China.

This is why the vaccines will also be different, " said Chakrabarti,

who has worked with C Gallo, the American scientist who co-

discovered that the HIV virus caused AIDS two decades ago.

About the human trial, Chakrabarti said, " There will be three phases

of the trial. In the first phase, 25-30 volunteers from the high-risk

group will be selected who will be administered a little amount of

the vaccine. In the next two phases, the number of volunteers will be

increased. "

Chakrabarti's efforts have earned praises from government officials

involved in controlling AIDS as well as from scientists.

" Chakrabarti and his team have contributed a lot in the battle

against the disease. I hope they are successful with the vaccine they

are working on, " N Suresh Kumar, Director, State AIDS Control

Society, told this website's newspaper.

Sachhidananda Sarker, Assistant Director of the Society, echoed his

views. " Chakrabarti's work has had the international world sit up and

take notice. We hope he is successful, " said Sarker.

Scientists at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine are also

optimistic. " If the human trial is successful, it will be a major

achievement, " Ajit Ghosh, a scientist working on the HIV virus at the

institute told this reporter.

" But I have one doubt. Will he get enough volunteers for the trial? "

Ghosh asked.

http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?

ID=IE320031004123003 & Title=Features+-+Health+%26+Science & rLink=166>