Posts tagged HIV cure news
Broadly Neutralizing HIV Antibodies
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
How Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies May Change the World for HIV
One of the things that make it so difficult for scientists to discover a vaccine or a cure for HIV is that the virus rapidly mutates. There are many strains of HIV around the world, mainly due to the virus’s propensity to mutate several times within a person in an effort to fight against treatment that is tailored to that individual. Broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies, however, can take on various versions of the retrovirus that are found across the globe.
Much of the data comes from the body of one woman in Africa whose immune system started creating these antibodies spontaneously when she became infected with the virus. Researchers were able to identify these antibodies within the woman, extract them, and proceeded to create clones of the antibodies in a laboratory. After conducting multiple experiments, the scientists postulated these so-called broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies could be the future of HIV research.
One thing researchers looked for is how the antibodies developed. They believe that this may be the key to unlocking a vaccine for HIV. Most people who become infected with the virus do produce antibodies, and thus able to be tested as positive, but do not create broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies and cannot effectively combat HIV in its multiple forms as the virus evades treatment within the body.
Animal studies are the next step for these broad-spectrum antibodies. Once they are deemed safe and effective, human trials follow. Scientists are in the process of cloning the antibodies to ensure supply lasts through the various levels of testing, and hopefully reach one step closer to a HIV vaccine, leading to disease eradication one day—just like smallpox.
Cloaking Ability of HIV Could Lead to New Treatment
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in Experimental Treatment
Since the discovery of HIV, just how the virus managed to replicate undetected by the body was somewhat of a mystery—until now. Researchers have recently discovered a mechanism used to protect the whereabouts of the virus and which allows it to multiply undisturbed. How did this come about, and what does it mean for the future of HIV? Here is a brief look at what was uncovered.
A team of scientists has recently identified two molecules that aid HIV by allowing the virus to hide within the host cell. By isolating these molecules, researchers have learned that the virus remains hidden, as it were, from the immune system by using a cloaking ability. Under normal circumstances, when a virus invades a cell, the immune system is tripped and an anti-virus attack ensues. Until recently it was unknown exactly how HIV could sneak past this trigger. With the use of these molecules, HIV disguises itself within a healthy cell. While remaining undetected by the immune system, it begins to multiple and mutate. This has made it both difficult to target and treat. Now, researchers are hopeful that this new information can help bring about a new way to effectively treat and contain the infection.
There are many benefits to this new light. Allowing the body to identify and attack the HIV on its own could be groundbreaking. Also, current treatments can be made more effective. Mutations and resistance to drug therapies may also be reduced. Disabling the cloaking device may make it easier to target the infection before it spreads and could be useful in developing vaccines. Armed with this important information, scientists are now able to push ahead in a positive direction to reducing the devastating effects of HIV.
HIV-Infected Cells Don’t Stand a Chance with New Drug
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in Experimental Treatment
Healthy cells are programmed to self-destruct, in a sense, when they become infected or diseased. Unfortunately HIV manipulates this internal self-destruct mode in the cells it infiltrates. A new pharmaceutical drug, Ciclopirox, shows promise in the advancement of HIV treatment.
This anti-fungal topical treatment came up with effective and hopeful results in recent studies. In HIV-infected cells, the drug attacks the mitochondria. By doing this, it inflicts a death blow to the infected cell, wiping out every trace of the HIV. In effect, it reactivates the cell’s self-destruct mode. Not only that, it prevents the HIV from replicating itself. In these two ways, this generally topical treatment proves very effective when dealing with HIV. Normally, Ciclopirox is administered to patients for treatment of skin and gynecological issues. However, in this new study, when used in a culture, HIV was cleared and did not reemerge once the drug was removed.
This is significant, since current forms of HIV treatment include combination drug therapies that inhibit HIV. While these therapies and treatments can help control HIV, they cannot eradicate the virus. If a patient should stop their treatment, HIV comes back at an astounding rate. With Ciclopirox, it is hoped that a means of prevention and perhaps a cure may finally be on the horizon.
Ciclopirox is already an FDA-approved drug. This means the process for using the cream in prevention of sexually transmitting HIV can be expedited. Other testing is already underway in hopes of further findings. The treatment is well tolerated, as healthy cells are unaffected by the drug.
Another promising treatment option is the drug Deferiprone, which is also showing promising results in the lab. Unlike the topical Ciclopirox, this drug can be taken internally, and as previous studies have already been published, it is hoped that this treatment, too, can become an option in the near future.
