Study in mice hints at the success of a vaccine against the virus
TUESDAY, March 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new study in mice hints at the success of a vaccine against the herpes simplex virus. The research was published online March 9 in eLife.
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City report that the vaccine was safe and effective in protecting mice against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). While the findings are promising, experts note that results from animal studies often do not pan out in human trials.
“Developing a herpes vaccine is one of the holy grails of infectious disease research,” study co-leader William Jacobs Jr., Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and immunology and of genetics at Einstein, said in a college news release.
Study co-leader Betsy Herold, M.D., chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Einstein, added that “genital herpes infections can not only be serious in and of themselves, but they also play a major role in fueling the HIV epidemic.” She explained that “people infected with HSV-2 are more likely to acquire and to transmit HIV — which further underscores the need to develop a safe and effective herpes vaccine.”
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