They found characteristics of HIV compatible with treatment for it
Compilation
The Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), a joint center of the Supreme Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), carried out a study that showed that opens up new possibilities for the treatment of infection caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In collaboration with the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, an exclusive group of people with HIV whose bodies able to control the virus, that is, its presence in the blood is not detected. Happens without the need to take antiretroviral treatment (ART).
So-called elite HIV controllers (ECs) can be divided into two subgroups: those who reach the point where lose control of viral load and those who, on the contrary, they retain control indefinitely. Thanks to ultra-sensitive virus characterization techniques that allow us to study the viral reservoir, or where HIV remains hidden in a cell’s genome. The research team found that those that lose control, despite having small numbers of whole or complete viruses, integrate them into regions of the cell genome that are accessible to the cell’s machinery.
They found that those that lose control, despite having small numbers of intact viruses, integrate them into regions of the cell genome that are accessible to the cell’s machinery.
“This can be accomplished production of new viruses that can be found in the blood»notes Ezequiel Ruiz-Mateos, principal investigator of this study and researcher at the IBiS Immunovirology Group.
However, for those who maintain control of the virus indefinitely, significantly lower levels of whole viruses. For most of these items 70%, no full-fledged viruses were found in the analyzed cellswhich means that they did not have a virus with infectious ability.
The new findings suggest that some persistent causes of HIV can be treated because full viruses are not found, or if they are found, their levels are very low and they are unable to replicate.
New findings suggest that some of the constant factors may be cured of HIVsince no complete viruses have been found, and if they are found, they are in very low levels and have no reproducibility.
This studio published in the Journal of Clinical Researchwas funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII) with contributions 208,120 eurosand biotech company Gilead, which contributed 35,000 euros.
“The purpose of this study is to find targets for immunotherapy development to ensure that the vast majority of people with HIV manage to control the virus as persistent controllers do, and therefore achieve a cure.”points out Ruiz-Mateos.