I am A HIV negative guy who is part of a study to find an AIDS vaccine. Im in my 6 months of the study and have been injected 6 times with a synthetic form of HIV. Here to answer any updated questions

If movies are in any way reflective of real life, you are going to become Patient 0 of the Super-AIDS virus. If I had to speculate, one day you'll drive your 2 hours, and get your final injection like normal. Then, some computer will start beeping and buzzing. Cut to a panicked doctor, "Mother of God, his AIDS level is off the charts!" Cut back to you, your nose is bleeding (never, EVER a good sign in any movie, ever), then its a close up on your eyes, they go black. The scene cuts out. You wake up in a forest next to ten naked men. They're all dead, of AIDS. You have no idea how it happened, all of the sudden a phone rings. It's not yours, you answer, they tell you to run. Click. You run and hide, a team of killers rushes in searching for you. You hide, they leave. You call your best friend and ask for help, you tell her to meet you in Paris at the Trocadéro, but you don't show up. You go to Berlin, that's where you stashed the chandelier.

JESUS CHRIST!

Also, I appreciate what you are doing for AIDS research.

thanks

[deleted]

That would be a given

As someone living with HIV I'd like to say thank you. You're doing a great...and selfless thing.

Your welcome :)

"This guy doesn't have AIDS. Let's keep trying to give him AIDS!"

So my question is is there actually any risk of getting HIV from this study?

And what do you mean by "Synthetic HIV"? What the fuck is that? It fakes being HIV in some way?

I have been told that there is now way to catch the HIV virus. There is no live or dead cells being used. It mimics the exact strand of HIV. I can not take a normal rapid HIV test for 5 years because the sythetic strand will show a false positive on tests. So it's like HIV in my body but without all the bad SHIT.

What's the story behind how you found out your body rejects HIV? Thank you for doing this study.

I have had 3 HIV positive BF's and never any safe sex. Multiple partners ect. I am 42 and lived my sexual prime durring the first wave of the virus. That could be why. And thank you

3 HIV positive BFs and never any safe sex? And now you are intentionally shooting up vials of HIV? Don't take this the wrong way but maybe they should be studying your brain!

I was young and stupid in the early 90's I know it was wrong. Now I am smart and want to help give something back.

How did you get involved with the study?

I saw an ad online asking for volunteers

how much do you get paid?

a little over $1,000 for 18 months. Which doesn't even cover the gas driving 10 plus miles round trip to do the study.

How in the world do you manage to find 3 boyfriends with HIV, you should play the lottery

I grew up in SF durring my sexual prime early 90's lots had it

As someone who was engaged to a hemophiliac man who struggled with AIDS every day before his passing, thank you for your contribution.

Out of curiosity, have they given you any explanation as to why you seem to be impervious to the virus?

Nope they have not. they do not want any participants to think they CAN NOT catch HIV. So durring the study they still want y ou to have safe sex. Though when looking for volunteers they obviously screen for those high risk people who have never tested positive

Are you starting to freak out at the tiniest little thing your body does? Like "My poo is unusually soft today. OMG AIDS!" Sorry, trying to keep this on the light side. What you're doing is scary and amazing and heroic.

LOL only a couple times I have freaked out. But it has been for the exact opposite reasons. Like OMG that cold went away in a day and everyone else had it for two weeks. Or my god three people, including my BF had pink eye and I didnt catch it. LOL sometimes I think my immune system is in overdrive

http://i.imgur.com/oKQMk.jpg

Do you have any other superpowers?

Umm.... I can place my hand flat on a surface and walk 1 1/2 times around it. Double jointed, does that count?

Was one of your ancestors a survivor of the Black Plague or smallpox? Because the genes you have may be why.

Edit: Because surprisingly less people than I had thought have heard about this, here's where I got this from. Sorry for the ambiguity.

http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/8/497.full

http://steelturman.typepad.com/thesteeldeal/2005/10/plague_immunity.html

Man who had cancer and aids, and got a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had an ancestor that survived the plague/smallpox and made him resistant to AIDS, thus making the transplantee "cured" of AIDS (also the cancer).

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/06/08/man-cured-of-aids-i-feel-good/

But I initially heard about it in an AIDS cure documentary in school. No idea what it was called.

yes white with European history

I have been injected with a synthetic form of HIV 3 times now.

In the title you say you've been injected 6 times.

Sorry for the confusion, it has been 3 total. After completion of the study it will be 6.

How close do you think we are in finding a cure?

I believe a cure is going to be harder to find then a Vaccine. I think we are getting close to a Vaccine and we will see it in our lifetime. Hell one of the pills they give to HIV positive men has already been approved to be taken by negative men to help prevent HIV. we are getting close my friend.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the medication incredibly expensive?

yes it is