New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study • Hacker News Board

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#71

Post by christkv » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:07 PM UTC

iandanforth wrote: post #20

The most interesting point of the article for me is that this vaccine appears to be a series of shots which act as a curriculum for the immune system. Each one slightly different and targeting a different stage of B-cell development. I've never thought of vaccine series working like that, so it was a new and impressive idea.

This is the way a lot of modern cancer vaccines are being developed. The idea is to create custom vaccines in the future targeting the patients specific cancer. So they are therapeutic vaccines. Obviously some cancers cannot be reach by a vaccine or are so aggressive that they overwhelm the patient before they can help.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#72

Post by egeozcan » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:07 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #65

jonathanlydall wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could say the same about teen pregnancy being a practically solved problem, except there is still the problem of teen pregnancy. Or even something more mundane as driving consistently safely all the time to solve the problem of accidents. If everyone was disciplined all the time in regard to everything, many problems in the world would simply not exist. But we live in reality where for whatever reason, people don…

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

All the tools we have against teen pregnancy need teens making right decisions, or taking corrective actions.

If there were a pill that'd block pregnancy for X years, given at the age of Y, then parents could enforce it and teen pregnancy would be solved (also it'd be very cruel but I'm just trying to make a point so bear with me).

Going back to our topic: People could also forget PrEP, be drunk and forget to wear a condom and so on. If this vaccine (or vaccine series) creates a somewhat permanent protection, it'd make a huge difference.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#73

Post by ChrisMarshallNY » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:07 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #65

jonathanlydall wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could say the same about teen pregnancy being a practically solved problem, except there is still the problem of teen pregnancy. Or even something more mundane as driving consistently safely all the time to solve the problem of accidents. If everyone was disciplined all the time in regard to everything, many problems in the world would simply not exist. But we live in reality where for whatever reason, people don…

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

It's still killing people like crazy (and spreading) in undeveloped nations. The new drugs are un-cheap.

Also, I believe that we just DOGEd our only vehicle for distributing these to underdeveloped nations.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#74

Post by lopis » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:08 PM UTC

cogman10 wrote: post #17

RGS1811 wrote: post #3

While HIV vaccine research is an exciting field, it's worth pointing out that halting HIV transmission is, practically speaking, a solved problem with oral and injectable reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The ongoing loss of life and health due to HIV could be stopped if we cared enough to invest resources in wide-scale PrEP availability and public health education. Waiting for an HIV vaccine is the domain equivalent…

It's a solved problem if you are someone that knows you'll be exposed to HIV in the very near future and you have the money and wherewithal to purchase PrEP before that event (and you can plan the event 7 days out). The power of a vaccine is you can give it to adults and kids before they are sexually active and protect them, potentially, for the rest of their lives. I'd also be curious to know if the combination of A…

Also, PrEP pills can have side effects long term. And distributing huge amounts of daily pills to remote areas of the globe is much harder than the patients getting a shot on their yearly medical visit.

> I'd also be curious to know if the combination of ART + the vaccine might cure someone of HIV. Which is also a pretty big deal.

"Cure" in the sense they could become indefinitely under detectable levels. It's worth noting that to really cure a person of HIV you'd need to remove all mutated cells.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#75

Post by mohamedkoubaa » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:08 PM UTC

niceguy1827 wrote: post #15

RGS1811 wrote: post #3

While HIV vaccine research is an exciting field, it's worth pointing out that halting HIV transmission is, practically speaking, a solved problem with oral and injectable reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The ongoing loss of life and health due to HIV could be stopped if we cared enough to invest resources in wide-scale PrEP availability and public health education. Waiting for an HIV vaccine is the domain equivalent…

This is the wrong take. You are basically arguing that if we have one solution, why bother having a second one?

"Grandma needs to stop taking her statins and just exercise" type shi

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#76

Post by toomuchtodo » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC

egeozcan wrote: post #72

cj wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

All the tools we have against teen pregnancy need teens making right decisions, or taking corrective actions. If there were a pill that'd block pregnancy for X years, given at the age of Y, then parents could enforce it and teen pregnancy would be solved (also it'd be very cruel but I'm just trying to make a point so bear with me). Going back to our topic: People could also forget PrEP, be drunk and forget to wear a…

The US state of Colorado provided young women free IUDs (which are reversible and can last up to eight years) with private funds, and it was wildly successful. I argue teen pregnancy is solved assuming systems remain in place for women to have robust access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare (which is a systems problem that is never solved completely, but reliant on defending the subject system constantly in perpetuity). The current US administration is rolling back teen pregnancy prevention programs to increase fertility rates in these age cohorts, so there is clearly work ahead to maintain the progress we've made.

If you're sure you don't want kids, or more kids, a bisalp, or bilateral salpingectomy (permanent birth control, removal of both fallopian tubes), is covered by Medicaid or ACA compliant private insurance in the US at 100% with no patient cost sharing as part of the Affordable Care Act federal statute. Doesn't apply to teens imho, but provides protection for 20-39 prime reproductive age cohort for those seeking it. It also decreases the risk of ovarian cancer by 42–77% (https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2018.61.5.542).

HIV PrEP in the short term is solved with a twice a year injectable (lenacapavir) until improved options become available (rapid deployment and robust availability of a vaccine given to as many at risk people as possible, as soon as possible). It can be provided for as little as $40/person (HN Search: lenacapavir - https://hn.algolia.com/?q=lenacapavir).

US Government Overhauls Teen Pregnancy Program to Focus on Marriage and Starting Families - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/us/politics/teen-pregnanc... | https://archive.today/ - July 22nd, 2026

Teen birth rates hit another historical low in 2025, CDC says - https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5777587/teen-birth-rate... - April 9th, 2026

Private Money Saves Colorado IUD Program As Fight Continues For Public Funding - https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/private-money-save... - August 27th, 2015

(with all of that context shared, all vaccines and medical protocols that improve quality of life, as well as defend and empower the human, are welcome and needed, as quickly as reasonable)

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#77

Post by cguess » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #65

jonathanlydall wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could say the same about teen pregnancy being a practically solved problem, except there is still the problem of teen pregnancy. Or even something more mundane as driving consistently safely all the time to solve the problem of accidents. If everyone was disciplined all the time in regard to everything, many problems in the world would simply not exist. But we live in reality where for whatever reason, people don…

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

> but if someone is unwilling to go on PrEP, why would they suddenly be willing to get a vaccine?

Because PrEP at even its best and most modern version requires an update every six months for life. If you're well-off and in SF or NYC or London that might be easy, but there's so many externalities such as:

- People who misjudge the risk they're at, so don't go on the meds in the first place

- People who live in regions where getting to a doctor even every six months is a challenge

- The six-month injection is extraordinarily expensive and a life-time treatment, for a disease you don't even have yet.

If instead it becomes a once-in-a-lifetime series of shot, like many other vaccines are already, we can start considering a path to extinguishing the disease, not just teaching people to live with it.

Then there's the financial savings of a series of three shots once vs a lifetime of them.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#78

Post by HappMacDonald » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #65

jonathanlydall wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could say the same about teen pregnancy being a practically solved problem, except there is still the problem of teen pregnancy. Or even something more mundane as driving consistently safely all the time to solve the problem of accidents. If everyone was disciplined all the time in regard to everything, many problems in the world would simply not exist. But we live in reality where for whatever reason, people don…

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

That's like asking "if someone is unwilling to practice abstinence, why would they be willing to wear a condom, or to flip a magic 'not fertile right at this moment' lightswitch?"

A vaccine is something you do once and PrEP is something you have to continue to do over time and get overcharged out the ass for the entire time and worry about if it will remain available in the future.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#79

Post by soco » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #65

jonathanlydall wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could say the same about teen pregnancy being a practically solved problem, except there is still the problem of teen pregnancy. Or even something more mundane as driving consistently safely all the time to solve the problem of accidents. If everyone was disciplined all the time in regard to everything, many problems in the world would simply not exist. But we live in reality where for whatever reason, people don…

Taking teen pregnancy as an example: we have the tools to avoid it. We have condoms, we have birth control, we have the morning after pill, we have abortion. We have all the tools -- are more tools really going to help? The fact that teen pregnancy is still an issue is not because we lack the tools to solve it. HIV prevention is similar. We already have the tools. We have condoms. We have PrEP. Sure, a vaccine would…

All your arguments are sound, and I'm still missing your point. Pharma is interested in doing pharma, indeed. But who's interested in your solution, assuming you have one? A significant part of the current electorate (internationally, even) seems to abhor sex ed, condoms, abortions and all that. So tell me again please how you suggest we address teen pregnancy - in THIS world.

Re: New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

#80

Post by dyauspitr » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:11 PM UTC

Telemakhos wrote: post #37

RGS1811 wrote: post #3

While HIV vaccine research is an exciting field, it's worth pointing out that halting HIV transmission is, practically speaking, a solved problem with oral and injectable reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The ongoing loss of life and health due to HIV could be stopped if we cared enough to invest resources in wide-scale PrEP availability and public health education. Waiting for an HIV vaccine is the domain equivalent…

[flagged]

Literally no one asks for proof of an STD test before sleeping with them. You might ask someone if they have STDs and use a condom but that’s how 99.99% of how people sleep with other strangers.