OHSU is getting close to a vaccine that stops HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. And our unique approach shows promise for other deadly diseases. With millions of lives on the line, we want to move faster. And we can, with support from donors like you.
The HIV epidemic has raged for more than 30 years, killing tens of millions of people and destroying families and communities. Now there is finally reason to believe that an end to HIV is in sight.
To eradicate HIV, we need a solution that is safe, effective, affordable, and easily accessible by anyone, anywhere. A vaccine could be all that — but outsmarting HIV isn’t easy. Over the past 15 years, OHSU’s Dr. Louis Picker has developed a unique vaccine technology that works like no other — and it may be the answer we seek.
Dr. Picker explains how his vaccine differs from other vaccines: “[It] elicits a unique immune response that is always armed and dangerous. The vaccine intercepts the infection and stops it cold.”
Dr. Picker made headlines when he announced that his vaccine not only stopped SIV (the simian version of HIV) from developing in monkeys, it totally cleared the virus from their bodies – as if they had never been infected. Picker expects this vaccine will also work in humans. He will begin testing for safety in humans in 2017.
Our vaccine is different: Most vaccines lose their effectiveness over time. Our vaccine keeps blocking the virus for life.
Our unique approach to vaccine development shows promise for other deadly diseases. Using the same technology, Dr. Picker has already developed a tuberculosis vaccine that is more effective in laboratory tests than the most successful vaccine currently in use around the globe.
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