Posts tagged HIV/AIDS
Mutating HIV Into Extinction
Mutating HIV into Extinction: One Answer to the Dilemma of HIV
In the late 1990’s a group of scientists and researchers faced with the dilemma of HIV and its resistance to a cure, decided to try to force the virus to over-mutate. The idea was to cause HIV to mutate at a rate much greater than the average HIV cell normally does, thus making the cells weaker and more prone to being eradicated. Essentially, they were attempting to cure people by mutating HIV into extinction. Many thought this approach would ultimately prove fruitless, but they pressed on.
Fast forward to 2011 and we find that, indeed, the group has developed a drug that causes rapid mutation in HIV cells. In the lab the drug forced a mutation explosion such that the HIV cells could no longer produce enough protein to survive. This essentially ‘killed’ the virus (although, technically, viruses are not alive in the first place, which is one of the reasons they are so difficult to eliminate). In clinical trials, however, the mutation was not great enough to cause the test patients’ HIV cells to collapse.
In a new study, released in July in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers discovered how the drug – currently known as KP1212 – was able to cause the HIV cells to mutate beyond their normal rate. Armed with this new knowledge, they are confident that they will be able to strengthen the effects of the drug and eliminate the HIV cells on a permanent basis. If they are successful we are talking about an actual cure for HIV.
HIV cells normally mutate quite frequently due to the way HIV reproduces. HIV makes copies of its genetic material, which is very error-prone and unstable, in a rapid mutation that actually helps the virus cells evade elimination from both the body’s immune system and man-made drugs. If HIV can essentially be forced into overdrive (roughly double the normal mutation rate), it will cause weaknesses that will result in the immediate elimination of HIV. Or, at the very least, cause the virus to become highly susceptible to drug elimination. This kind of forced over-mutation can, and in some cases already does, work for other viruses. For example, this is how Ribavirin works in patients with the hepatitis C virus. Similarly, some of the drugs developed for certain strands of influenza work in the same way. All of this good news suggests that we could be on the road to mutating HIV into extinction.
A World Without AIDS
A World Without AIDS: How Far Off?
If you are middle-aged or older, you may remember a world without AIDS. After all, it didn’t become a commonly known or understood disease until it started taking the lives of some famous individuals in the 1980s. Today, it is a worldwide epidemic with more than 35 million HIV-positive individuals across the globe. With we ever see a world without AIDS again? That was the question posed at a convention held this past year.
Researchers and top physicians gathered from around the world to discuss the steps involved in getting rid of HIV and AIDS for good. Hopes are high because of the emergence of a few cases of cured individuals. In fact, the first man ever cured from the disease addressed the audience of doctors and researchers, inspiring them to reach their ultimate goal. However, while we wait for the dream of an HIV free world to come about, what else is being done for those who have the disease and what is being done to reduce transmission?
Antiretroviral treatments exist today that allow people with HIV to live a normal lifespan. Of course, this has led to other previously unknown complications of the disease. Now that HIV no longer quickly advances to AIDS, cutting a person’s life short, doctors are discovering that HIV can cause many secondary problems. One of these complications is a series of neurological problems.
Other issues involve the fact that many HIV-positive people around the world live in poor countries. Some of these countries can’t afford proper screening to identify HIV-positive individuals. Others don’t have the refrigeration needed for various treatments. Additionally, most of these nations can’t afford to provide treatment for people who can’t afford it themselves.
This means that, at least for now, the war on HIV is about preventing its spread. This means education for those in the highest risk categories for becoming infected. It also means developing regular and affordable screening for all. These are some of the goals that major contributors to the cause—such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—are working towards.
In the meantime, it is important for everyone to follow safe sex practices to avoid contracting HIV. It also involves a willingness to get tested. Finally, it means sticking closely to a treatment regimen if you are infected with the disease. This is what individuals can do to play a role in eliminating HIV and AIDS for good. It is a wonderful goal: to once again see a world without AIDS.
AIDS Linked to Lymphoma
10 years ago
AIDS Linked to Lymphoma: CNS Involvement Is Vital
There are a number of connections between diseases that are well-documented and studied. There are also different systems in the body that seem to bear a connection with different diseases. HIV and AIDS seem to have connections with other diseases and with certain networks in the body. For example, doctors are aware that many who present with HIV or AIDS have a greater risk of developing lymphoma. New research shows that not only is AIDS linked to lymphoma, but that the operation of the central nervous system (CNS) also plays a role. The CNS is apparently closely linked to the lymphomas experienced by those with HIV and AIDS. What does this finding mean for a prognosis?
Researchers found that when a person has AIDS, they are at greater risk for lymphoma with central nervous system involvement. As the name suggests, lymphomas normally attack the lymph nodes. The next most common site, however, is the central nervous system. It appears the prognosis is not much different for HIV patients that present with either of these lymphomas. The study, however, found that when treating for cancer, CNS relapse was nearly 3 times more likely to happen in a person with AIDS. Moreover, because this form of cancer is particularly aggressive, the survival rate tends to be low. The hope is that knowing this link exists will help physicians to earlier detect and more effectively treat the disease. (Most people are probably aware that all forms of cancer are easier to treat the earlier that they are diagnosed).
After close consideration of cases of AIDS linked to lymphoma, it was noted that the majority presented with end-stage cancer. This may indicate that during the original diagnosis the CNS involvement may have been overlooked and, therefore, left untreated. Armed with this new information, doctors expect to be able to identify the disease sooner. Researchers, too, are looking into how the CNS is involved. The hope, of course, is this will lead to better treatment options in the future.
Low Cholesterol Helps HIV Immunity
10 years ago
Low Cholesterol Helps HIV Immunity: A Link that can Prevent AIDS Progression
With current HIV therapies, those who are HIV-positive can live for decades without the infection progressing to AIDS. The antiretroviral treatments given today greatly improve the quality of life for many. In the past, once a person became infected with HIV, it would only take 1-2 years for the infection to take hold and overwhelm the immune system. High mortality rates were a direct result of this quick-moving process. After decades of meticulous study, research and record-keeping, certain links have been discovered that could help fight off the infection within the body, namely low cholesterol helps HIV immunity.
While the average person once infected with HIV would manifest with AIDS quickly if left untreated, there is a small percentage of the population that could avoid this. Some could go as long as 10 years or more without HIV progressing to AIDS. Through careful documentation, the link may have been discovered. The common denominator seems to be low levels of cholesterol in certain immune system cells. The interesting part is that this level has nothing to do with blood cholesterol levels. It appears to be an inherent trait and is present even before an infection takes place. Seeing as HIV needs cholesterol within the cells to invade and replicate, low cholesterol helps HIV immunity by greatly slowing down the virus. The result is better protection against HIV and prevention of AIDS.
While researchers are not exactly sure how this works or why some have this trait, they are hopeful. By investigating further, a new way to treat and prevent AIDS could come about in the near future. The premise that low cholesterol helps HIV immunity has taken over a decade to deduce. Thanks to the painstaking tasks of monitoring and documenting what was observed through the years, these results could mean even better treatment options for those who are HIV-positive and possibly even help in preventing an initial infection.
New Protein Could Be Breakthrough in HIV Prevention
11 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Prevention
The race to eradicate HIV and improve the vaccine has led to an exciting new development. Researchers within the last few weeks have published new findings regarding a protein and sugar molecule that has the potential to not only neutralize HIV, but that can connect to various strains of the virus as well.
The protein that was created mimics the outer layer of the HIV. The part of the layer that can bind to antibodies is the area researchers were targeting. This key part of the cell is where neutralizing the virus takes place. One of the factors that make the creation of this protein so important is that it may help scientists answer some of the most complex issues facing the prevention of HIV. For one thing, an antibody that can target multiple strains of the virus is hard to come by. Another problem is the response of the immune system: At times it is beneficial, but other responses can be negative and unwanted. Researchers are hoping that, with this protein, the immune system will be free to respond in a positive, beneficial way. The protein with the sugar molecule is better able to bond to the outer coat of the virus. It is hoped that broad-spectrum antibodies will be allowed to form. If this happens, the antibodies that can do the most neutralizing will have a better chance to complete their task.
Another benefit to the proteins is the potential to trigger a response from the white blood cells that produce antibodies. Should the antibodies produced by these B cells do what researchers are hoping, results could be disastrous for the virus. This aspect is what scientists are focusing on to develop an effective vaccine. Much more information is needed, as well as testing on animal subjects. This does not, however, negate the importance that this finding will have on the future of the battle against HIV.
