The elusive and enigmatic disease, HIV, which kills millions of people yearly, might finally have some significant treatment breakthroughs. Researchers are reporting that a new antiviral strategy powerfully protects monkeys from SIV, the simian cousin of HIV. Experts say the development could eventually lead to a vaccine-like weapon against AIDS.

Currently, vaccines have proved ineffective in stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against the deadly syndrome. So researcher, Philip Johnson, decided to bypass the autoimmune mechanism and deliver the antibodies straight into the body.

Philip Johnson thought of linking groups of antibodies together and then stitching these genes into adeno-associated virus (AAV), a "vector" used in human gene therapy experiments to deliver foreign DNA into the body's cells.
In the experiment, 6 of the 9 monkeys which were first injected with the “immunoadhesins” did not receive the SIV where as the 6 which weren’t, all became affected.
This is a positive step forward in the gruelling battle against AIDS.