The latest research into HIV/AIDS is coming up with some exciting new treatments which can dramatically improve and prolong the life of someone infected with the virus.
Unfortunately the elusive cure is still a long way off though it’s not for want of trying. Numerous studies are underway looking at gene therapy and an HIV vaccine, all of which offers hope for the future.
See our new feedback and HIV and AIDS update section
One of the most interesting developments comes from the National Institute of Medical Research where scientists have discovered that a gene found in rhesus monkeys can prevent HIV. The same gene in humans can’t block the virus but it appears that only one change is needed to enable it to do so. If this proves to be the case it would be a remarkable breakthrough in the search for a cure.
It’s a brave new world but it’s complicated stuff and a cure certainly isn’t just around the corner. In a nutshell, this pioneering gene therapy would involve removing all the white blood cells from a patient, cloning them and altering the genetics before introducing them back into the body. Existing technology can’t actually do this so it’s something for the longer term. But it’s still a viable possibility and thanks to antiretroviral drugs keeping people alive longer, this treatment may be available in future to people currently living with the virus.
Other gene therapy studies involve inserting modified genes directly into cells to prevent the virus from reproducing itself. These cells produce the CD4 cells which can resist the HIV infection.
The hunt for an HIV vaccine has come a long way. Dozens of experimental vaccines have been tested so far. They are either preventative (designed to stop someone from getting the virus in the first place) or therapeutic with the aim of aiding an infected person to recover from the virus.
Once again these possible solutions to the HIV crisis are a very long way off despite nearly 15 years of research. People respond in different ways to the infection, HIV is still not fully understood and it’s a very changeable virus so different preventative vaccines may be needed.
Studies are underway into microbibe which is a form of lubricant capable of reducing the transmission of HIV when applied in the vagina or anus. Around 60 different products are being tested and 12 of these have been found to be safe and effective in animals. Microbibe is now being tested on humans and if successful could be available as early as 2007.
But the majority of current research is focusing on the development of antiretrovirals and improving their effectiveness.
Unfortunately the elusive cure is still a long way off though it’s not for want of trying. Numerous studies are underway looking at gene therapy and an HIV vaccine, all of which offers hope for the future.
See our new feedback and HIV and AIDS update section
One of the most interesting developments comes from the National Institute of Medical Research where scientists have discovered that a gene found in rhesus monkeys can prevent HIV. The same gene in humans can’t block the virus but it appears that only one change is needed to enable it to do so. If this proves to be the case it would be a remarkable breakthrough in the search for a cure.
It’s a brave new world but it’s complicated stuff and a cure certainly isn’t just around the corner. In a nutshell, this pioneering gene therapy would involve removing all the white blood cells from a patient, cloning them and altering the genetics before introducing them back into the body. Existing technology can’t actually do this so it’s something for the longer term. But it’s still a viable possibility and thanks to antiretroviral drugs keeping people alive longer, this treatment may be available in future to people currently living with the virus.
Other gene therapy studies involve inserting modified genes directly into cells to prevent the virus from reproducing itself. These cells produce the CD4 cells which can resist the HIV infection.
The hunt for an HIV vaccine has come a long way. Dozens of experimental vaccines have been tested so far. They are either preventative (designed to stop someone from getting the virus in the first place) or therapeutic with the aim of aiding an infected person to recover from the virus.
Once again these possible solutions to the HIV crisis are a very long way off despite nearly 15 years of research. People respond in different ways to the infection, HIV is still not fully understood and it’s a very changeable virus so different preventative vaccines may be needed.
Studies are underway into microbibe which is a form of lubricant capable of reducing the transmission of HIV when applied in the vagina or anus. Around 60 different products are being tested and 12 of these have been found to be safe and effective in animals. Microbibe is now being tested on humans and if successful could be available as early as 2007.
But the majority of current research is focusing on the development of antiretrovirals and improving their effectiveness.
HIV research may improve treatment The results of University research showed that current drugs poorly penetrate tissues where the virus replicates most. By February 10, 2014 HIV/AIDS treatment has majorly improved over the last decade — with advances from simpler drug regiments to longer life expectancy in patients and fewer side effects.
But University of Minnesota researchers say the research they published last month, which shows where current HIV drugs are failing to work, may be a step toward even more effective treatment of the disease and a better patient experience.
Viruses, like HIV, need to use living organisms to reproduce, essentially hijacking the host’s cells to replicate its DNA and spread to more hosts. The research showed current drugs and administration methods don’t properly treat the virus in the lymphatic tissues, where most viral replication takes place.
Lead author and medical professor Dr. Timothy Schacker said that because current drugs don’t target the lymph nodes, the virus re-emerges as soon as a patient discontinues treatment — one of the reasons they can’t cure the disease.
“You can get them down to the level where the HIV is undetectable,” Schacker said. “But as soon as you take them off the drugs, the HIV virus comes right back.”
HIV is a lymphatic infection, Schacker said, because the virus prefers to attack the white blood cells that live in lymph nodes. He said more than 35 FDA-licensed drugs are on the market, all of them aiming to reduce virus’s ability to replicate. But none of the drugs are properly targeting the lymphatic tissues, he said.
“This is another example of infectious diseases that we are attempting to treat and measure through the blood when the blood is clearly not the most effective channel,” Schacker said.
Microbiology department head and co-author Ashley Haase worked with Schacker on the research and said current treatments are working well. But now that they know where these drugs are failing to go, they can start working on finding new drug combinations that better penetrate lymphatic tissues, he said.
Executive Director of the Minnesota AIDS Project Bill Tiedemann said Minnesota typically has between 280 to 370 new HIV infections annually. The Minneapolis-based nonprofit provides resources for people who are or may be infected with HIV/AIDS, such as testing, financial guidance and treatment assistance.
They currently serve about 400 people, but about 7,500 are living with HIV in Minnesota, and Tiedemann said he believes it is still an epidemic.
Haase said University researchers began the study in 2008 when they noted patients receiving treatment for HIV were showing immune system complications, even though their blood tests showed low levels of the virus. They noticed younger patients developing conditions associated with old age, like cancer and cardiovascular disease — a sign that the virus was still active.
“It isn’t that these are weird or unusual cancers,” Schacker said. “It’s that they’re now getting lung cancer, colon cancer, and this is in a 30- or 40-year-old.”
Especially compared to a decade ago, patients on treatment today have improved lives, Schacker said. But a patient on treatment now still has a 20 percent reduction in life expectancy, he said.
This means a person expected to live to 80 may die from HIV complications in their 60s, he said.
Their research studied the six most common HIV treatment drugs, and Schacker said the next step is to survey the remaining available drugs to see which may be most effective in penetrating the lymphatic tissue.
“We think we can do better than we’re doing now,” Schacker said. “And if we do better with suppression, we think that’s going to have a very positive clinical benefit.”
But University of Minnesota researchers say the research they published last month, which shows where current HIV drugs are failing to work, may be a step toward even more effective treatment of the disease and a better patient experience.
Viruses, like HIV, need to use living organisms to reproduce, essentially hijacking the host’s cells to replicate its DNA and spread to more hosts. The research showed current drugs and administration methods don’t properly treat the virus in the lymphatic tissues, where most viral replication takes place.
Lead author and medical professor Dr. Timothy Schacker said that because current drugs don’t target the lymph nodes, the virus re-emerges as soon as a patient discontinues treatment — one of the reasons they can’t cure the disease.
“You can get them down to the level where the HIV is undetectable,” Schacker said. “But as soon as you take them off the drugs, the HIV virus comes right back.”
HIV is a lymphatic infection, Schacker said, because the virus prefers to attack the white blood cells that live in lymph nodes. He said more than 35 FDA-licensed drugs are on the market, all of them aiming to reduce virus’s ability to replicate. But none of the drugs are properly targeting the lymphatic tissues, he said.
“This is another example of infectious diseases that we are attempting to treat and measure through the blood when the blood is clearly not the most effective channel,” Schacker said.
Microbiology department head and co-author Ashley Haase worked with Schacker on the research and said current treatments are working well. But now that they know where these drugs are failing to go, they can start working on finding new drug combinations that better penetrate lymphatic tissues, he said.
Executive Director of the Minnesota AIDS Project Bill Tiedemann said Minnesota typically has between 280 to 370 new HIV infections annually. The Minneapolis-based nonprofit provides resources for people who are or may be infected with HIV/AIDS, such as testing, financial guidance and treatment assistance.
They currently serve about 400 people, but about 7,500 are living with HIV in Minnesota, and Tiedemann said he believes it is still an epidemic.
Haase said University researchers began the study in 2008 when they noted patients receiving treatment for HIV were showing immune system complications, even though their blood tests showed low levels of the virus. They noticed younger patients developing conditions associated with old age, like cancer and cardiovascular disease — a sign that the virus was still active.
“It isn’t that these are weird or unusual cancers,” Schacker said. “It’s that they’re now getting lung cancer, colon cancer, and this is in a 30- or 40-year-old.”
Especially compared to a decade ago, patients on treatment today have improved lives, Schacker said. But a patient on treatment now still has a 20 percent reduction in life expectancy, he said.
This means a person expected to live to 80 may die from HIV complications in their 60s, he said.
Their research studied the six most common HIV treatment drugs, and Schacker said the next step is to survey the remaining available drugs to see which may be most effective in penetrating the lymphatic tissue.
“We think we can do better than we’re doing now,” Schacker said. “And if we do better with suppression, we think that’s going to have a very positive clinical benefit.”