A new development in the fight against AIDS has come up and
it seems to have a lot of potential. We have already developed antiretroviral
(ARV) drugs that can drastically reduce the amount of HIV in the blood, but
this never seems to cure the patient. The main reason being that there are
small “reservoir” cells in the blood stream that carry the virus and lie dormant
for a long time. These hard to detect cells then reactivate and redistribute
HIV once drug therapies have worn off.
Scientists have not only found a way to “wake up” these
dormant reservoir cells so they can be detected and eliminated, but also prime
healthy immune cells to destroy the infected ones. The new GS-9620 drug binds
to immune cells through a toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7). This induces cell
replication in HIV favoring white blood cells, leading to dormant cells
activating and producing more of the virus, but also taking these cell out of
hiding.
Experiments have been run on monkeys with similar diseases
and drugs. Introduction of ARV drugs drastically dropped HIV levels followed by
a sharp rise when the GS-9620 drug was introduced right after. This rise is
exactly what researchers were looking for, as it shows that reservoir cells are
activating and are now visible to the immune system. After this drug therapy,
the monkeys showed drops in HIV levels around the body, although scientists
still don’t know for sure how these reservoir cells are being eliminated. This
research are being be expanded upon (since small clinical trials on HIV-infected
people are starting), sending us a lot closer to finally finding a reliable
cure for AIDS.
-Dan Staiculescu (Group C)
This is interesting that there are small reservoirs cells that carry the virus that lay dormant. Do you know how they found out about these reservoirs? Do you think these reservoirs are like a defense mechanism for the virus or is due to evolution of the virus?
ReplyDelete- Jazmin Granadeno