Researchers have seen a major step in their studies regarding Hepatitis C and HIV and may be treading the road for a potential combined vaccine for the two diseases. For the first time, the study scholars have realized that they can get a simultaneous and synchronized immune response against Hepatitis C and HIV, and may now be able to find a common vaccination for both.
HCV and HIV are both dreaded medical diseases and almost 2.3 million people are co-infected by the two diseases worldwide, say reports. Both the diseases do not have a cure is a well known fact and Hepatitis C virus is recognized to be the main reason of deaths, which are not caused by AIDS, in co-infected people.
The doctors actually have to focus on a successful treatment, so that the drugs taken to treat both do not show a negative interaction with each other. The main focus of the scientists is bringing about change in the condition of the patient suffering from these two infections. The science investigators involved in the research study at University of Oxford, felt that giving a combination of vaccination for both may be effective because both of these diseases are capable of causing death and both influence the immune response of the human body.
Nearly 32 healthy volunteers were taken for the study. At 0 and 8 weeks of the study, one of the groups was administered an HCV investigational vaccine while the other group was administered an HIV investigational vaccination with the same schedule of doses, and a third group was administered both the vaccines.
In a press release, Dr. Laurent Castera, secretary general of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, stated that they believed that it may be possible to produce a synchronized immune response of the body against diseases like HIV and HCV, thus “raising the possibility of a combined vaccination,” she said.
Talking about the disease influence, Lucy Dorrell, lead researcher and professor at University of Oxford in London, has also stated “While we have drugs to treat both HIV and HCV, these are out of reach for many and do not prevent re-infection.” Professor Ellie Barnes another researcher, claimed, “Knowing that it may be possible to vaccinate a single individual against both diseases opens up huge possibilities for rolling back epidemics of disease and co-infection.”
Researchers of the study also stated that the vaccines administered at the same time did not weaken the immune response of the patient against HIV and HCV. The boost vaccination that was given in an intramuscular manner, definitely showed an increased immune response and the patient tolerated the vaccine well.
The details of the study were presented at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
