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Show NEWS V(sl m oy Rudi Williams Air Force News Service Army researchers say they may have found an vaccine, based on a study of 30 volunteer patients, but more tests are needed to anti-AID- S 10-mon- th be sure. They cautiously emphasized that the genetically engineered vaccine, called glycoprotein, or GP 160, seems to stop the progress of AIDS, but it's not a cure and it doesn't prevent infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. The virus destroys the victim's immune system, which results in AIDS. "What we've done is change the body's defenses against the AIDS virus and, according to our findings, prevented the HIV infection from spreading into AIDS," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Robert R. Redfield of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. e "The patients were before the test Their disease began and they're still hasn't gotten better or worse." full-blow- full-blow- n n HIV-positiv- HIV-positiv- e. g Colonel Redfield, a AIDS researcher, said proving the feasibile ity of using a vaccine as therapy for is a tims vi( promising finding. "For a long time, many scientists dreamed of using this approach to boost the body's defenses in a chronic infection," he said. "But many other people dismissed this concept, didn't think it would work. But it does." world-renowne- d, award-winnin- HIV-positiv- Still eorly On the other hand, he said, it's premature to conclude there's a definite benefit to patients because the test was too short and too few 10-mon- th HIV-positi- ve victims were tested. His colleague, Col. (Dr.) Donald S. Burke, chief of the institute's department of virology, explained, "We only used 30 patients, and the trial was designed specifically to see whether the vaccine therapy was safe and whether it was effective in boosting the body's immune defenses in people already infected with HIV. We're looking for a model that tells us what immune defenses are important to protect." To do this, Colonel Redfield said a longer, larger and even more careful test is needed to be sure. That study is under way with a new group of about 140 volunteers at three major military medical centers: Walter Reed; National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.; and Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. Researchers expect the number to eventually swell to about 350 patients. of the original 30 volunteers are conin the test program. One died of unrelated tinuing causes in an automobile accident, and the other dropped out of the program for personal reasons. "Volunteers were recruited from among Department of Defense health care beneficiaries," Colonel Redfield noted. "They were referred by their docd DOD tors." Of the more than 10,000 health care beneficiaries, approximately 6,000 are in the early stages of the disease and approximately Twenty-eigh- t HIV-infecte- .June 23, 1991 H.!:top Times 0 i 4,000 in the late stages. Because DOD routinely tests service members, most victims are in the very early stages of the disease and would probably respond to treatment better than people in the late stages, Colonel Redfield said. Those in the early stages have the antibody to the virus in their blood, but are otherwise healthy, he noted. Late-stag- e patients are not only antibody but their "T cell" count is below 400 and positive, they have other infections and symptoms of disease. AIDS isn't a disease, but a condition where the body loses its ability to challenge and fight off infections. The original randomly chosen volunteer group consisted of 26 men and four women between the memages of 18 and 49. They included active-dut- y bers of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and dependents and retirees. Fourteen were whites, 13 were African Americans and three vere Hispanics. They received shots over an eight-monttrial period and were evaluated for two months'af-te- r the injections. non-Hispan- ic h Moasurablo responso The vaccine appeared to halt the AIDS process in 19 patients, most of whom responded measurably to the six shots of GP 160 they received, Colonel Redfield said. The other 11 volunteers, who received only three shots, didn't respond as well: Four who responded partially improved when their vaccine dosage was later increased. Seven had no detectable response; all had received only three doses. Colonel Redfield said the first volunteers matched the ethnic breakdown of HIV victims in the general public and the military. Researchers were pleased by this chance event because the broad sample helps assure they weren't seeing reactions specific to a gender or ethnic group. About 40 percent of the people with HIV infection are African Americans, 40 percent white, 10 percent Hispanic and 10 percent women. Only patients whose bodies maintained at least 400 T cells per milliliter of blood for more than three months are eligible for enrollment. They also had to have a normal, complete blood count with no evidence of an organ disease, no alcohol or drug abuse over the preceding 12 months and no other coin-cidental- ly non-Hispan- ic anti-AID- S drug therapy. Researchers kept track of the number of T cells in each patient's body. "T cells are important for immunity against viruses, fungi, parasites and certain bacteria," Colonel Burke said. He said T cells sound the alarm, activating killer white blood cells that hunt down and destroy invading germs. T colls Colonel Burke said the immune system holds HIV in check for a long time but, eventually, the virus starts to multiply and becomes toxic. The balance then shifts in favor of the virus. After overwhelming the T cells, the deadly virus runs rampant throughout the body, eventually killing the victim. Why it takes years for this to happen is still unknown. "The loss of T cells seriously impairs the body's ability to fight most invaders," Colonel Burke ex- - plained. "The average number of T cells in the body is between 700 and 900 per cubic milliliter of blood. When they get below 100 or 200, the immune system is so weakened that the body can't fight off in- fections." The first trial, at Walter Reed, "was an example of the three services working together in a way they never have before," Colonel Burke said. "This is the first cooperative clinical research I know of. For those who were skeptics... it's really working. It's not just providing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard important information, it's got everyone pumped up." tri-servi- ce Scientific first Researchers are excited about the test results because this is the first time anyone has scientifically demonstrated that vaccines can change the way the body defends itself, Colonel Redfield said. "AIDS isn't like rabies, which kills the victim quickly. It may take up to 15 years to manifest itself," he said. Therefore, he continued, if the ongoing second test validates the first and proves that GP 160 strengthens the body's defenses against AIDS, "we make it so people get sick much slower... extend their lives much longer... if we start treat- ment during the early stages." The medicine retrovir, known as AZT, has been shown to prolong life in HIV victims suffering from AIDS-relatedisease but not without major AZT and other drugs are expensive and problems. d are not readily available worldwide, Colonel Redfield said. "The other problem with these drugs is that they're toxic and must be managed by expensive blood transfusion therapy," he added. "If our approach is shown to have clinical value, the advantages would be that it appears not to be toxic and it would be relatively inexpensive. Then the cost d wouldn't prevent 10 million to 20 million treatpeople around the world from getting ment. That would be a real advance." Editor's note: Article courtesy American Forces Information Service. HIV-infecte- AF's top 12 named The Air Force has announced its 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 1991, the top people in the enlisted corps. This year's top airmen are: TSgt. Rick R. Bloom, 15th Security Police Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii; SrA. Christopher L. Chestnut, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.; TSgt. Harold L. Clark Jr., 501st SPS, RAF Greenham Common, England; Sgt. Joe Dessenberger, 184th Tactical Fighter Group, Air National Guard, McConnell AFB, Kan.; SMSgt. Arthur L. Haney, 2953rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.; SrA. Mark D. Hartburg Sr., 321st Field Missile Maintenance Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. MSgt. Robert V. Martens Jr., 1724th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.; MSgt. Christina J. Morris, 12th Field Maintenance Squadron, Randolph AFB, Texas; TSgt. Michael R. Ogle, 92nd Organiza- tional Maintenance Squadron, Fair-chil-d AFB, Wash.; TSgt. Kelly E. Payne, 439th Combat Support Group, Air Force Reserve, Westover AFB, Mass.; SMSgt. Michael C. Reynolds, 5th Mobile Aerial Port Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England; and Sgt. Jody L. Stocks, Air Force Systems Command Regional Hospital, Eglin AFB, Fla. The 12 outstanding airmen were selected from 86 nominees representing major commands, field operating agencies and direct reporting units from throughout the Air Force. The selection criteria included job performance, leadership qualities in primary duties, and leader- ship in social, cultural or religious tivities. ac- The 12 airmen will be honored at the Air Force Association's September convention in Washington. mm ( x vfe . w J: SwM'i 7r U.S. Air Force Photo Top blue-suit- er SMSgt. Arthur Haney, left, and SSgt. Scott Lay, a jet engine mechanic, disin a gear box drive shaft during a visual inspection cuss carbon build-uof the TF-3engine. Sergeant Haney, one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 1991, is assigned to the 2953rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla. p 0 |
