HIV is a sexually
transmitted diseases (STD) that has been an epidemic in many parts of the world.
Countless of individuals have suffered from this deadly virus, with no hope of
a cure. People have been fighting against the inevitable by prolonging their
lives with treatments.
Despite how awful HIV is,
scientists have made a revolutionary discovery on how to use the HIV virus to
fight cancer Scientist were able to
figure out how to use a disabled version of HIV cells to reprogram the
individual’s immune system to target cancer cells in their body. The way it
works is by removing millions of T-cells from the patient who has cancer and
using the HIV to transmit genetic materials into the T-cells. Once the
materials is put into the T-cells, it is then pumped back into the patient’s
body which then automatically targets the cancer cells. This treatment however
is still in the beginning stages and thus imperfect. The drawback is that it
doesn’t only target cancer cell, but also healthy B-cells, nevertheless with
enough time, patients, and research funds, this treatment can potentially save
millions of lives.
This is another great example of biologists re-purposing something found in nature to create groundbreaking tools in the lab. I believe the retroviral mechanism of the HIV virus (and many other viruses) could be harnessed by scientists in order to alter germ-line DNA. This kind of medical technology could be used to treat many illnesses, including things like cancer and cystic fibrosis.
ReplyDeleteBradley Sarasin (Group 3)
Exactly, instead of fighting back with men made creations which comes with package of side effects, they're using something that nature created to fight against cancer. This brings less side effects to the table.
DeleteDavid
I think this is an amazing discovery! I just would like to know if there is anyway that the disabled HIV cells could cause the person that is fight cancer to get HIV? If they use this method are we risking patients catching HIV?
ReplyDeleteCaitlyn Cordaro (1)
That's a great question. In my opinion I would not think that a disabled HIV cell could cause the person receiving the treatment HIV. The virus is "disable", which can't function the way it did. Researchers are using the mechanism that the virus uses to take control of the human body to re-program the T-cells.
DeleteThis is such a cool discovery! I can't wait to see where this research leads and if it can eventually stop attacking B-cells and cure HIV. I am curious if there is a possibility of the person receiving the treatment to get HIV or any negative side effects of the disease. That could be a huge deterrent of this treatment and could cause more damage than help in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAshley Geary (1)