Vaccines normally use an attenuated, or weakened, version of a pathogen that encourages the body\u2019s immune system to make antibodies in defense, which are then available when the pathogen attacks in the future.<\/p>\n But even weakened HIV evolves too quickly, overwhelming the immune system, so traditional vaccine approaches are ineffective.<\/p>\n To outwit HIV, the team alters a weakened virus\u2019s genetic code to prevent it from replicating without access to a specific chemical compound. The vaccine provides the compound, which sticks around long enough to enable the virus to replicate. The body reacts to the virus by forming antibodies. Once the compound is gone, the virus can no longer replicate, but the body now has the antibodies to defend against future HIV exposure.<\/p>\n The team has proven the vaccine works in laboratory cell cultures. Now, with a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health\u2019s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the researchers will continue developing the vaccine and testing it in mice.<\/p>\n![\"140717_Guo_005\"](\"http:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/140717_Guo_0051-900x599.jpg\")
<\/a>