India discovers vaccine for HIV - All India Institute of Medical Sciences did it!
Surinder Pratap, Special Correspondent
July 20, 2004

The vaccine, called the HIV-1 DNA, immunised mice and monkeys from sub-type C — the type of HIV, which accounts for more than 95 per cent of infections in India — in trials carried out since 1996. A vaccine is the surest shield against HIV/AIDS.

Finally it is ready for use and recognition!

In December last year, Dr Pradeep Seth gave himself what could turn out to be the most important injection of his life. He had earlier tried out the injection — a vaccine for HIV — on mice and monkeys.

The vaccine had worked on the animals. And Seth found that he was fine — he had suffered no side-effects.

The tests on animals had been conducted in 'vitro' — blood samples from the injected animals were made to react with the HIV virus and Seth, head of microbiology at AIIMS, discovered the vaccine was successful in inducing immunity. "Tremendous and robust and HIV-specific immune response to the vaccine was seen during animal trials. Special tests were conducted and it was found that the vaccine had induced development of antibodies to the virus,'' says Seth.

The research team at the National HIV Reference Centre in AIIMS that developed the vaccine is now waiting for clearance to start clinical trials on human beings.

"Dr Seth wrote to us a couple of months ago and we responded saying his work has to be reviewed by an expert scientific committee before clearance for human trials can be given," says health secretary J.V.R. Prasada Rao.