BYU researchers hope twins unlocks the mysteries of AIDS (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY - Brigham Young University researchers strive to unlock some of the mysteries surrounding the viruses that cause AIDS with a trio of studies dealing with unusual cases involving a set of twins, a vaccine failed and a protein "stop sign".

The identical baby twins received a contaminated transfusion and became HIV positive two years ago.

Now, one of the twins has an immune system of normal and a fairly good health, while the other boy is five years behind him on the graph of the growth and has experienced a number of complications.

That provocative difference has become the basis of one of these studies, researchers led by the President of Department Biology BYU Keith Crandall trying to understand how the virus has changed in each twin. They were joined in the study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute.

Crandall said there are competing theories on the differences in their clinical results. A theory is that natural selection drives, so the results should be similar. The other holds that random genetics plays a role, and it cannot therefore predict.

A second study focuses on a Thailand anti-HIV vaccine, scientists are trying to develop that proved to be ineffective. Crandall said that they hope to samples from this case will help them learn more about how the virus has evolved and if vaccination to protect themselves against HIV is promising.

"I think that the community of HIV is still divided in terms of how to continue treatment against HIV infection," Crandall told the Deseret News.

There is a strong camp who thinks that the vaccine is still the way to go. We need to do more intelligent design of vaccine, "carefully in view of everything they have learned in other attempts to create a vaccine that works."

"Others say nothing," he said. "The focus must be on pharmacotherapy." "But the virus tends to hide in places where drugs cannot get their".

The final study is led by Greg Burton, President of the BYU Department of chemistry and Biochemistry and Xueyuan Zho, student in the Department of the University of Colorado Health Sciences. They confirmed a previous report a natural protein prevents HIV from multiplying. But they have gone further to explain how the protein, not only what is happening.

"The importance of this study is that we have progressed from previous research." "Burton effect was known, but we have shown the mechanism," said.