Catalan researchers isolate and control AIDS virus for the first time
A clinical trial of a vaccine has proved, for the first time ever, that the immune system of those infected with AIDS can be re-educated in order to control the virus for long periods of time and without taking anti-retroviral drugs. In particular, 5 of the 13 patients whom participated in the trial and stopped their treatment achieved control of the virus for 5, 13, 17, 20 and 27 weeks respectively. The research, which is still ongoing, is being developed in different hospitals in Barcelona and Badalona and is directed by the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, a leading centre for research into the eradication of HIV/AIDS and related diseases, and the Fight AIDS Foundation, a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to healthcare, research and education in the field of HIV/AIDS, created by Doctor Bonaventura Clotet in 1992.