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CSIRO Media Release |
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11 November 1998 |
Ref 98/264 |
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A technique developed for veterinary vaccine applications by CSIRO Animal Health scientists is playing an important role in a project with ANU and MacFarlane Burnet Centre to develop a vaccine against HIV.
CSIRO Animal Health scientist Dr David Boyle developed a fowl pox virus that can be used as a vector or 'taxi' to carry a vaccine into other animals, including humans. While it was originally developed for poultry vaccination, the technology was found to have applications in other species.
"The fowl pox virus is itself harmless to humans and other animals, but acts as a 'taxi' that can carry part of the HIV virus as a 'passenger' into the animal. This alerts the animal's killer T-cells, an important part of the immune system, to recognise and kill HIV virus infected cells, by first becoming familiar with just the HIV internal proteins," says Dr Boyle.
World wide research shows that the genetic material of the HIV virus is rapidly mutating, however the protein structure of the virus is changing more slowly. The vaccine therefore may be effective even if further likely mutations in the HIV virus take place.
The CSIRO Animal Health fowl pox virus vector technology is one of the important enabling technologies for this promising collaborative project on HIV vaccines. It is a fresh example of how Australian agricultural research can generate spinoff benefits for human health.
Media enquiries:
CSIRO Animal Health, Dr David Boyle or Emma Homes on
03 5227 5123.
(Australia's largest scientific research organisation)
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