--- title: "New Vaccine Kills HIV in Monkeys, Researchers Planning Human Trial" description: "A team of researchers in Japan has created a vaccine that was able to kill a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in macaques during an early trial." date: "2021-11-10" modified: "2021-11-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/vaccine-kills-hiv-monkeys-human-trial" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "AIDS" - "HIV" --- # New Vaccine Kills HIV in Monkeys, Researchers Planning Human Trial ![A team of researchers in Japan has created a vaccine that was able to kill a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in macaques during an early trial.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A team of researchers in Japan has created a vaccine that was able to kill a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in macaques during an early trial, Japanese newspaper [*The Asahi Shimbun* reports](). While becoming infected with HIV isn't exactly great news, with the right treatment, the outlook is far better than it was when the virus first made its way to the US in the early 1980s. But treatment so far hasn't been able to actually kill the virus — just greatly mute the many negative effects it can have on human health. That could be starting to change, though. The Japanese team from the Tsukuba Primate Research Center said that human testing could start within just five years, according to *Asahi*. The team developed a vaccine using a special bacterium that strengthens the immune response. They then combined this with a weakened AIDS-causing virus. The seven crab-eating macaque test subjects became infected with simian-HIV, but tests were unable to actually detect the virus, according to *Asahi*. Even after being injected with a stronger virus that could prove fatal otherwise, the virus disappeared without a trace in six of the seven test subjects. The researchers are now hoping they can use HIV taken from patients who are undergoing drug treatment to create a vaccine meant for humans. It's not the only prominent effort to develop an HIV vaccine. US-based pharmaceutical Moderna [recently kicked off human trials]() for its mRNA-based HIV vaccine, the same technology used in its widely administered COVID-19 vaccine. HIV has consistently been [one of the deadliest]() infectious diseases over the last 40-odd years. But with new advancements in medicine, there's more hope than ever before in defeating the virus once and for all. **READ MORE:** [Research team develops vaccine that kills HIV in monkeys]() \[*The Asahi Shimbun*\] **More on HIV:** *[Moderna’s mRNA HIV Vaccine Is About to Start Human Trials]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()