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WALIOGUNDUA WAZUNGUMZA NA MWANANCHI JUMAPILI Leon Bahati WANASAYANSI waliogundua tiba ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi, wanatarajiwa kutoa ufafanuzi wa tiba hiyo kwenye Kongamano la 43 la Kimataifa kuhusu Mapambano ya Ukimwi, linaloanza leo mjini Vienna, Austria. Dawa hiyo ambayo sasa imekuwa gumzo katika nchi mbalimbali, ripoti ya utafiti wake itawekwa hadharani mbele ya watalaam wa tiba ya ukimwi kutoka nchi mbalimbali duniani. Wakati kongamano hilo likifanyika, wanasanyasi waliogundua dawa hiyo kutoka Marekani, wameiambia Mwananchi Jumapili kwa njia ya simu jana kuwa wataendelea kulipatia habari za kina kuhusu utafiti wao. Akizungumza na Mwananchi Jumapili, Ofisa Uhusiano wa masuala ya Ukimwi wa Niaid katika, Laura Sivitz alisema ofisi yake imepanga kutoa ufafanuzi zaidi juu ya utafiti wao kwa gazeti hili kupitia kwa wanasayansi waandamizi walioshiriki kwenye utafiti huo. “Nashukuru kwa kusikia wasomaji wenu wangependa kujua zaidi juu ya utafiti wetu… Ningependa mmoja wa wanasayansi wetu atoe maelezo kuhusu mambo yote unayotaka kujua zaidi. Hii itakuwa vizuri zaidi maana anajua mengi kutokana na kushiriki kwenye utafiti huo,” alisema Sivitz akifafanua: “Haitawezekana kupatikana kwa haraka kwa wakati huu. Lakini nafikiri tutawasiliana na tutafanya hivyo haraka iwezekanavyo… Siwezi kukuahidi muda lakini naomba uamini itakuwa haraka iwezekanavyo.” Kwenye kongamano hilo ambalo kwa kawaida dunia hupata taarifa mbalimbali za maendeleo ya tafiti na mbinu za mapambano ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi, wataalamu na wanaharakati kutoka sehemu mbalimbali, watahudhuria. Taarifa zaidi kutoka taasisi hiyo zinaeleza kwamba Niaid iliwahi kushirikiana na hospitali mbili kubwa za rufaa hapa nchini katika kufanya utafiti juu ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi. Kulingana na taarifa hiyo iliyotolewa na Niaid, hospitali hizo ni KCMC na Hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili (NHC) na kwamba, utafiti huo ulikuwa na matunda mazuri. Ripoti ya ugunduzi wa tiba hiyo ya Ukimwi inatarajiwa kuwasilishwa na Mkurugenzi Mwakilishi wa Ofisi ya Utafiti wa Ukimwi (OAR) iliyo chini ya Taasisi ya Taifa inayoshughulikia masuala ya Afya (NIH) nchini Marekani, Dk Jack Whitescarver. NIH ndiyo inayosimamia Taasisi ya Kimataifa ya Magonjwa ya Maambukizo na Mzio (Niaid) ambayo siku 10 zilizopita ilitangaza kugundua chembechembe za kinga zenye uwezo wa kuvikabili virusi vya ukimwi kwa asilimia 90. Mkurugenzi wa Niaid, Anthony Fauci ambaye pia ni Mshauri wa Mambo ya Afya, Ikulu ya Marekani, alisema utafiti huo umewawezesha kujua namna ya kutoa chanjo ya uhakika ya kuzuia na kutibu ugonjwa wa Ukimwi. Katika utafiti ambao tayari wanasayansi wamethibitisha ni madhubuti na hauna madhara katika mwili wa binadamu, wataalamu walisema wamegundua chembechembe za kinga walizozipa jina la kitaalamu VRC01 na VRC02. Katika hatua nyingine, NIH imeeleza katika tovuti yake kwamba, hatua ya kisayansi iliyofikiwa kwa sasa inatoa matumaini ya kuweza kudhibiti virusi vya Ukimwi. NIH ambayo inasimamia na kufadhili tafiti nchini Marekani imeeleza kwamba, mapinduzi hayo ya kisayansi ni faraja kubwa kwa dunia. Taarifa hiyo inaelezea aina mbili za chanjo ya Ukimwi, moja ikiwa ni kwa ajili ya kutibu wale ambao tayari wanaishi na virusi na ya pili ni kwa ajili ya kutoa kinga kwa wale ambao hawajaambukizwa ugonjwa huo. Akilihutubia Bunge juzi, Rais Jakaya Kikwete alisema takwimu za ugonjwa wa ukimwi zinaonyesha maambukizo hapa nchini yamepungua. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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Sunday, 18 July 2010 08:31
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WALIOGUNDUA WAZUNGUMZA NA MWANANCHI JUMAPILI
Leon Bahati
WANASAYANSI waliogundua tiba ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi, wanatarajiwa kutoa ufafanuzi wa tiba hiyo kwenye Kongamano la 43 la Kimataifa kuhusu Mapambano ya Ukimwi, linaloanza leo mjini Vienna, Austria. Dawa hiyo ambayo sasa imekuwa gumzo katika nchi mbalimbali, ripoti ya utafiti wake itawekwa hadharani mbele ya watalaam wa tiba ya ukimwi kutoka nchi mbalimbali duniani.
Wakati kongamano hilo likifanyika, wanasanyasi waliogundua dawa hiyo kutoka Marekani, wameiambia Mwananchi Jumapili kwa njia ya simu jana kuwa wataendelea kulipatia habari za kina kuhusu utafiti wao.
Akizungumza na Mwananchi Jumapili, Ofisa Uhusiano wa masuala ya Ukimwi wa Niaid katika, Laura Sivitz alisema ofisi yake imepanga kutoa ufafanuzi zaidi juu ya utafiti wao kwa gazeti hili kupitia kwa wanasayansi waandamizi walioshiriki kwenye utafiti huo.
“Nashukuru kwa kusikia wasomaji wenu wangependa kujua zaidi juu ya utafiti wetu… Ningependa mmoja wa wanasayansi wetu atoe maelezo kuhusu mambo yote unayotaka kujua zaidi. Hii itakuwa vizuri zaidi maana anajua mengi kutokana na kushiriki kwenye utafiti huo,” alisema Sivitz akifafanua: “Haitawezekana kupatikana kwa haraka kwa wakati huu. Lakini nafikiri tutawasiliana na tutafanya hivyo haraka iwezekanavyo… Siwezi kukuahidi muda lakini naomba uamini itakuwa haraka iwezekanavyo.” Kwenye kongamano hilo ambalo kwa kawaida dunia hupata taarifa mbalimbali za maendeleo ya tafiti na mbinu za mapambano ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi, wataalamu na wanaharakati kutoka sehemu mbalimbali, watahudhuria.
Taarifa zaidi kutoka taasisi hiyo zinaeleza kwamba Niaid iliwahi kushirikiana na hospitali mbili kubwa za rufaa hapa nchini katika kufanya utafiti juu ya ugonjwa wa Ukimwi. Kulingana na taarifa hiyo iliyotolewa na Niaid, hospitali hizo ni KCMC na Hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili (NHC) na kwamba, utafiti huo ulikuwa na matunda mazuri. Ripoti ya ugunduzi wa tiba hiyo ya Ukimwi inatarajiwa kuwasilishwa na Mkurugenzi Mwakilishi wa Ofisi ya Utafiti wa Ukimwi (OAR) iliyo chini ya Taasisi ya Taifa inayoshughuliki a masuala ya Afya (NIH) nchini Marekani, Dk Jack Whitescarver. NIH ndiyo inayosimamia Taasisi ya Kimataifa ya Magonjwa ya Maambukizo na Mzio (Niaid) ambayo siku 10 zilizopita ilitangaza kugundua chembechembe za kinga zenye uwezo wa kuvikabili virusi vya ukimwi kwa asilimia 90.
Mkurugenzi wa Niaid, Anthony Fauci ambaye pia ni Mshauri wa Mambo ya Afya, Ikulu ya Marekani, alisema utafiti huo umewawezesha kujua namna ya kutoa chanjo ya uhakika ya kuzuia na kutibu ugonjwa wa Ukimwi. Katika utafiti ambao tayari wanasayansi wamethibitisha ni madhubuti na hauna madhara katika mwili wa binadamu, wataalamu walisema wamegundua chembechembe za kinga walizozipa jina la kitaalamu VRC01 na VRC02. Katika hatua nyingine, NIH imeeleza katika tovuti yake kwamba, hatua ya kisayansi iliyofikiwa kwa sasa inatoa matumaini ya kuweza kudhibiti virusi vya Ukimwi. NIH ambayo inasimamia na kufadhili tafiti nchini Marekani imeeleza kwamba, mapinduzi hayo ya kisayansi ni faraja kubwa kwa dunia.
Taarifa hiyo inaelezea aina mbili za chanjo ya Ukimwi, moja ikiwa ni kwa ajili ya kutibu wale ambao tayari wanaishi na virusi na ya pili ni kwa ajili ya kutoa kinga kwa wale ambao hawajaambukizwa ugonjwa huo. Akilihutubia Bunge juzi, Rais Jakaya Kikwete alisema takwimu za ugonjwa wa ukimwi zinaonyesha maambukizo hapa nchini yamepungua.
Scientists have discovered three previously unknown human antibodies that neutralize HIV, two of which target a broad range of HIV strains. The findings, reported online July 8 in two Science papers, come less than a year after another team of researchers discovered two other antibodies that bind to and neutralize HIV.
The discoveries may jump-start AIDS vaccine research. “The path forward isn’t as clear as we’d like it to be, but we are turning a corner, I think,” says David Montefiori, a viral immunologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., who was not involved in the research.
Nearly everyone infected with HIV makes some antibodies to it. But while HIV antibodies have been detected since the mid-1990s, none has had the properties to serve as a cornerstone around which to build a vaccine.
The newer antibodies might be made of tougher stuff. One in particular, called VRC01, displays potency and broad coverage across HIV strains, says Peter Kwong, a structural biologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., who coauthored both new reports.
In the new studies, Kwong and his colleagues collected antibodies from the blood of HIV-infected people around the globe. They then tested these antibodies against nearly 200 strains of HIV in the lab to determine how many strains were susceptible to each antibody and how much antibody was needed to neutralize the virus.
VRC01 and its sister antibody VRC02 neutralize 91 percent of HIV strains, the team reports. A third antibody, VRC03, neutralized 57 percent. By comparison, an antibody discovered in the 1990s neutralized only about 40 percent of known HIV strains, and the PG9 and PG16 antibodies unveiled last year neutralized 79 percent and 73 percent of strains.
The findings over the past year “establish a proof of the principle that it’s possible for the body to generate these kinds of antibodies,” Montefiori says. “We haven’t seen anything like what these antibodies can do — not even close.”
Scientists will do well to design an HIV vaccine that elicits the immune system to produce a combination of antibodies, to get an additive effect, Montefiori says.
HIV poses challenges for vaccine design because it mutates frequently. This changing appearance limits immune detection, says Ralph Pantophlet, a vaccine immunologist at Simon Fraser University in Canada. The virus is also camouflaged from the immune system by sugar molecules, he says.
In one of the new reports, the researchers took apart the VRC01 antibody and found that it binds to HIV on a site that the virus needs to latch onto unsuspecting cells and gain entry into them. VRC01 bottles up HIV by mimicking that cell docking station, a receptor protein.
“The size of the antibody keeps the virus from approaching the cell,” Pantophlet says. The bound virus and antibody soon face disposal, he says.
The VRC01 antibody showed up in only one individual and seems to take a few years to appear after infection. Before they can develop a vaccine that induces its production, scientists must first ascertain that the antibody exists in others. The delay in antibody production might be manageable, Kwong says. Vaccinations are commonly given over many months.
The most difficult part may be constructing the vaccine itself, with additives to “wake up the immune system,” Montefiori says.
Kwong says the work will involve manipulating the immune system to produce these antibodies. “The answer is going to be there, and it’s going to be doable,” he says.