>> SCIENCE HAS A WAY OF. ONE
DISCOVERY COULD LEAD TO
ANOTHER YEARS OF DISCOVERY’S
LED TO OUR COVID VACCINES. BUT
WHAT MIGHT THOSE LEAD TO LAST
MAY DOCTOR ANTHONY FAUCI TOLD
ME THAT IT COULD HELP FIGHT
ANOTHER VIRUS THAT DEFINED
MUCH OF HIS CAREER.
>> YOU KNOW, IT GOES BOTH
WAYS, JOSHUA. IN FACT, THE
WORK ON THE STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
AND THE STRUCTURE BASED
VACCINE DESIGN WORKING FOR
YEARS. HIV VACCINE WAS
EXTREMELY HELPFUL. AND US
GETTING A VACCINE FOR SARS-COV
2 GOING BACK IN THE OTHER
DIRECTION. THE PLATFORM
TECHNOLOGY FOR VACCINES. THE
MRNA PARTICULARLY THAT PROVED
TO BE BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS
SUCCESSFUL. WE’RE GOING TO
START USING THAT PLATFORM
TECHNOLOGY IN HIV. SO IT’S ONE
IS HELPING THE OTHER BACK AND
FORTH.
>> TURNS OUT DOCTOR FAUCI WAS
RIGHT YESTERDAY. MODERNA BEGAN
CLINICAL TRIALS FOR AN HIV
VACCINE. IT DEVELOPED THE SHOT
WITH THE NONPROFIT
INTERNATIONAL AIDS VACCINE
INITIATIVE LIKE THE COVID
VACCINE USES MRNA TECHNOLOGY
TO TEACH OUR CELLS HOW TO
FIGHT HIV. JOINING US NOW IS
DOCTOR ROBERT FULLY LOVE. HE’S
A PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL MEDICAL
SCIENCES AND ASSOCIATE DEAN OF
COMMUNITY AND MINORITY AFFAIRS
AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S
MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH AND ARE FULLY LOVE.
WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
HAVING ME. GLAD TO BE HERE.
THIS WOULD BE A HUGE DEAL IF
THIS VACCINE WORKS. TALK ABOUT
HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS WOULD BE
IT IN A WAY IT FEELS LIKE KIND
OF THE HOLY GRAIL OF HIV
PREVENTION FOR THE ENTIRETY OF
THIS PANDEMIC.
>> WHEN MARGARET HECKLER IN
1985 AND AS TO THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC THAT WE FOUND THE THAT
WAS CAUSING AIDS WAS HIV. ONE
OF THE THINGS SHE PROMISED WAS
THAT IN A VERY SHORT SPACE OF
TIME. WE WOULD HAVE BOTH A
CURE AND A VACCINE. THAT WAS
1985. HERE WE ARE IN 2022 AND
IT’S FINALLY HAPPENED. BUT IT
TOOK A LONG TIME. AND YOU’RE
RIGHT, IT WAS IN TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPED FOR ANOTHER VIRUS
THAT PRODUCED A MIRACLE THAT
WE’RE SEEING RIGHT NOW.
>> PROFESSOR, CAN YOU EXPLAIN
FOR US IN VERY SIMPLE LAYMAN’S
TERMS. WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS
MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES IT
POTENTIALLY A POLITICAL TO
FIGHTING HIV.
>> THIS THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT
STATES BE SIMPLE IS ONE THAT
CREATES A SET OF PROTEINS THAT
VERY MUCH. LOOK LIKE HIV TO
OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. IT IS GOING
TO PRODUCE A SET OF PROTEINS
THAT WILL HAVE LESS OF THE
GENETIC STRUCTURE OF HIV AIDS.
SO IT CAN’T CAUSE AN INFECTION
THAT CAN JONES, BUT IT WILL
PROVOKE AN IMMUNE RESPONSE
EVEN SYSTEM WILL LOOK AT WHAT
IT THINKS IS AN HIV CELL AND
IT WILL START TO ATTACK IT
AND. IF THIS VACCINE IS
SUCCESSFUL, IT ELIMINATE IT
AND PREVENT THAT VACCINE. THE
VACCINE WILL PREVENT THE VIRUS
FROM DEVELOPING INTO THE END
STAGE OF THE GIANT, DISEASE
WHICH IS 8. SO IT’S A BIG
DEAL. WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS IN THE
40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR OF OUR
DISCOVERY OF HIV. WE FINALLY
HAVE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE
A NANCE.
>> NOW WANT TO BE CLEAR, THIS
IS A VACCINE AND YOU CORRECT
ME IF I’M WRONG, BUT AS THE
VACCINE, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT
WILL BE USEFUL FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE HIV NEGATIVE. BUT IF
YOU’RE ALREADY POSITIVELY
WOULD HAVE TO FIND OTHER
INTERVENTIONS, ALTHOUGH WE DO
HAVE STRONG MEDICINES THAT ARE
ABLE TO BASICALLY MAKE HIV
UNDETECTABLE. SO THIS WOULD BE
MORE ABOUT PREVENTING PEOPLE
FROM BECOMING HIV POSITIVE
RATHER THAN TREATING PEOPLE
WHO ARE POSITIVE.
>> THAT’S CORRECT. IT’S A
PREVENTION MEASURE. IT’S NOT A
TREATMENT WE HAVE SOME VERY
ACTIVE MEDICATIONS THAT ARE
QUITE EFFECTIVE. THEY’VE BEEN
AROUND SINCE THE 1990’S. WE
WILL CONTINUE TO USE THESE.
BUT WE STILL HAVE RIDGE ABOUT
35 TO 38,000 NEW CASES OF HIV
EVERY YEAR. WE’RE REALLY
TARGETING THAT AS OUR MOST
IMPORTANT MISSION HERE TO
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES
AND HOPEFULLY IN MY LIFETIME
SEE THE ELIMINATION OF HIV
ALTOGETHER FROM HUMAN FAMILY.
>> PROFESSOR, HOW WOULD YOU
WANT TO SEE THIS VACCINE
DEPLOYED. I FEEL LIKE THERE
ARE SO MANY THINGS ABOUT THE
FIGHT AGAINST HIV. SO MANY
PREVENTIVE METHODS THAT PEOPLE
DON’T KNOW TO THIS DAY LIKE
THINGS LIKE PREP TAKING THE
DAILY MEDICATIONS EITHER
TRUVADA OR DISCO V TO PREVENT
HIV INFECTION. I KNOW A LOT OF
MEN WHO HAVE NO IDEA THAT PREP
DOES EXIST AND IT’S BEEN
AROUND FOR YEARS. SO IT FEELS
LIKE EVEN WITH THE
INTERVENTIONS WE HAVE. THERE’S
A LOT OF EDUCATING TO DO.
>> THERE’S A LOT EDUCATING TO
DO AND CLINICALLY IT’S VERY
COMPLICATED. PREP IS NOT EASY.
YOU TAKE A PILL THAT YOU HAVE
TO TAKE IT AT A CERTAIN TIME.
WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CLEAR.
THAT IS PRESENT IN YOUR BLOOD.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE. IN
OTHER WORDS, THAT IS LEVELS
ARE EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT HIV
IF IT ENTERS FROM CREATING AN
AFFECTION AND INFECTIONS GOING
TO BE PROBLEMATIC. WHAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT NOW IS A SIMPLE
SHOT. IT’S AN INJECTION IS
VERY MUCH LIKE VACCINES THAT
WERE ALREADY ACCUSTOMED TO
TAKING. AND NOW THAT WE’RE IN
THE ERA OF COVID-19 WHERE FOR
ALL OF US VACCINES HAVE BECOME
A PART OF LIFE ENDING THIS
VACCINE TO THE LIST MEANS. I
THINK THAT WILL BE DOING
SOMETHING THAT WE’RE ALREADY
ACCUSTOMED TO DOING. AND FOR
FOLKS WHO ARE AT RISK OF
GETTING HIV INFECTION. THIS
REALLY DOES MEAN THERE WERE
ABOUT TO ENTER A NEW DAY.
>> BEFORE I HAVE TO LET YOU
GO. PROFESSOR. SUPPOSE THIS
VACCINE WORKS. OPPOSING CLEARS
ONLY CLINICAL TRIALS GETS
APPROVED GOES ON THE MARKET.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
OUTREACH FOR THIS VACCINE
TARGETED. FIRST.
>> WELL, CLEARLY IN THE
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN
HARDEST HIT STORY BY THIS
PARTICULAR VIRUS. I’M TALKING
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE WITH
MEN. I’M TALKING SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT FOLKS WHO LIVE IN
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES,
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE
CHARACTERIZED BY RACIAL
SEGREGATION. THESE ARE THE
PLACES WHERE WE SEE THE
HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF
INFECTION. AND THIS WOULD BE
THE LOCATION FOR. I HOPE WHAT
WILL BE A VERY IMPASSIONED
EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS
VACCINE IS DISTRIBUTED, BUT IT
IS EXCEPT THAT IS SUCCESSFUL
THAT PEOPLE ACCEPT IT. AND
THEN IT BECOMES EXACTLY WHAT
WE’RE HOPING. THE DAWN OF A
NEW DAY.
>> DOCTOR ROBERT FULLY LOVE. I
APPRECIATE YOU MAKING TIME FOR
SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BUT
IT WAS MY THANK YOU FOR HAVING