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Reinforcement for the Immune System

Posted by Adedeji Akindele-Alo

March 22, 2010

A clinical trial is currently underway to investigate a new vaccine called CDX-110, which is used to treat brain cancer.  This vaccine prompts the immune system to attack foreign invaders in the body, in this case the cancerous cells.  The vaccine causes white blood cells, known as T-cells to attach the tumor.  T-cells assist the immune system, and they attack malignant cells due to their different genetic makeup than normal cells in the body.  Unlike chemotherapy, which is very harmful to all living cells in the body, CDX-110 creates an immune system stimulant that is precise—attacking only foreign cells.

 

What if a similar approach can be implemented to target and cure all diseases associated with the immune system?  What if we could create a vaccine to simulate Cytotoxic T-cells, whose purpose is to destroy virally infected cells?  This holds the potential of creating a vaccine that would target the AIDS virus before it completely engulfs the immune system.

 

The best approach would to formulate a strain of vaccines for every single disease and infection that currently exist.  But is it possible?

Comments


 Mike March 26, 2010 1:23 PM
Suppose that we could actually formulate a vaccine for every currently existing disease and infection. I wonder at what rate new diseases develop each year, and would it be possible to keep up with all the new diseases that pop up?

And if we had disease-free bodies, how would our \"softened\" immune systems battle those new disease strands that will inevitably emerge? In other words, are there positives to having our body struggle with and learn how to solve diseases on their own?
 Deji March 26, 2010 4:43 PM
I don’t think this vaccine will target every disease and infections but just the most severe. I think this vaccine will target the diseases and infections that are the most common in the population. There will only be a hand full of serious diseases to deal with so they won’t have to keep up with a lot of emerging diseases. This vaccine will help fight infections that are present in the body, which does not stop external biological factors such as bacteria and parasites from entering the body. This vaccine will not lead to a disease free body since an immune response has to occur for it to work