Scientists develop an all-in-one approach that "kills and kills HIV"

T cell infected with HIV (Photo: NIAID | Wikimedia Commons)

Scientists have developed an all-in-one immunotherapy approach to "cure" HIV.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh say they have developed a way to "suppress" HIV cells that hide in the immune system. And not only does this make him come out of hiding, but the approach is also killing him.

No clinical trials have yet taken place.

However, researchers say that it is an exciting step to develop a vaccine one day.

New all-in-one approach that "kills and kills" HIV

Robbie Mailliard, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, said it was "promising".

"Many scientists are trying to develop a cure for HIV. It usually revolves around the concept of "kick and kill," he said.

"Promising treatments are being developed for the murder, but the Holy Grail is trying to find out which cells contain HIV and we know what to beat."

Antiretroviral therapy controls HIV infections, so the virus is virtually undetectable and can not infect others.

However, people living with HIV should take a daily medication regimen. The virus enters a latent inactive phase that is hidden in the DNA of some immune cells.

Nearly two dozen participants living with HIV gave a large amount of blood for this exciting study.

The men sat for four hours connected to a machine that was treating blood.

Inspired by cancer immunotherapy

The team used dendritic cells, used in cancer immunotherapies, to induce the immune system to kill HIV.

The researchers then designed these cells to search for, activate, and kill the cells in which HIV was hiding.

Mailliard described it as the "Swiss knife of immunotherapies".

The team is currently seeking funds to begin clinical trials on humans.

But be careful

Matthew Hodson, an HIV advocate and sexual health specialist, described the study as exciting.

"It's exciting that there are a number of studies under way that are currently being healed," he said.

"This new job looks promising, but it is still too early because the trials on humans have not started yet.

"Last year's RIVER study, which followed a similarly broad strategy, ultimately failed to reduce HIV DNA in the body beyond the level provided by HIV treatment.

Kat Smithson, National AIDS Trust's Director of Policy and Campaigns, said, "Advances in treatment research are always interesting and welcome; in the future, it will be interesting to see how these developments could continue in the context of human testing.

"Although we still have a lot of time to wait before finding a cure for HIV, there are many technological innovations in treatment and prevention that are impacting.

"We have an excellent treatment for HIV, which removes the virus and stops transmission.

"And we can even prevent the acquisition of HIV with PrEP. These innovations have led to a reversal of the epidemic in the United Kingdom. "

See also

Major progress: scientists succeed in destroying HIV-infected cells

Doctors make their first donation of HIV-positive organs