科学家乐观地认为，艾滋病毒疫苗可能在2021年研制成功

Treatment for individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has come a long way in the past couple of decades, but a vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus has long been a seemingly unattainable holy grail for scientists.

在过去的几十年里，人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)感染者的治疗取得了长足的进步，但预防病毒传播的疫苗似乎一直是科学家们可望而不可及的圣杯。

However, that could change very soon, as researchers are steadily advancing trials of HIV vaccines which show incredible potential.

然而，这种情况可能很快就会改变，因为研究人员正在稳步推进艾滋病疫苗的试验，这些试验显示出了令人难以置信的潜力。

As NBC News reports, scientists have developed a trio of potential HIV vaccines that are still undergoing rigorous trials, but the drugs have entered the final stage of testing and scientists are optimistic.

据美国全国广播公司新闻报道，科学家已经开发出三种可能的艾滋病疫苗，目前仍在进行严格的试验，但药物已经进入最后的测试阶段，科学家对此持乐观态度。

If things continue to progress at the current rate, HIV vaccines could begin to enter availability by 2021.

如果事情继续以目前的速度发展，艾滋病毒疫苗可能会在2021年开始进入可获得性。

Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of the Bridge HIV research program at the San Francisco Department of Public Health described the success of the trials so far as “one of the most optimistic moments we have been in.”

旧金山公共卫生部“桥”艾滋病毒研究项目主任苏珊·布赫宾德(Susan Buchbinder)博士称，这些试验的成功是“我们经历过的最乐观的时刻之一”。

“We have three vaccines currently being tested in efficacy trials,” she told NBC, “and it takes quite a bit to actually be promising enough in the earlier stages of trials to move you forward into an efficacy study.”

“我们目前有三种疫苗正在进行有效性试验，”她告诉NBC，“在试验的早期阶段，需要相当长的一段时间才能真正有足够的希望让你进入有效性研究。”

But HIV isn’t a one-trick pony. There are multiple subtypes of the virus that are present around the globe and different vaccines designed to target one or more of these variants would be crucial to waging a global war against the illness.

但是，艾滋病毒不是一匹会耍诡计的小马。这种病毒有多种亚型，它们分布在全球各地，针对其中一种或多种变体设计的不同疫苗对发动全球抗击这种疾病的战争至关重要。

Of the three HIV vaccines currently progressing through trials, one is built specifically to target a subtype of the virus that has devastated portions of southern Africa, while the other two are designed to combat a broad range of HIV variants.

目前正在进行试验的三种艾滋病毒疫苗中，有一种是专门针对一种摧毁了南非部分地区的艾滋病毒亚型而研制的，而另外两种则是针对多种艾滋病毒变体而设计的。

The administration of the vaccines is somewhat demanding, requiring multiple injections over a series of doctor visits. The trials are helping health officials better understand the rates at which the drugs can prevent the spread of HIV while also revealing differences in effectiveness between segments of the population. A vaccine may be more effective in young African women but not as effective in middle-aged white men, for example.

疫苗的管理有些苛刻，需要在一系列的医生探访中多次注射。这些试验正在帮助卫生官员更好地了解药物预防艾滋病毒传播的速度，同时也揭示了不同人群之间的有效性差异。例如，疫苗对年轻的非洲女性可能更有效，但对中年白人男性就没有那么有效。

Eventually, the researchers working on the vaccines hope to advance their understanding of how the virus reacts to the drugs. This could lead to vaccines that require far fewer injections, perhaps even reaching a point where a single doctor visit would be enough to protect an individual.

最终，研究疫苗的研究人员希望进一步了解病毒对药物的反应。这会让疫苗更少的注射，甚至可能只是一个点，乃至一个医生的到访即可以保护一个人。