French scientists appear to have made not so much a small step but a giant leap in HIV research. In a press release, Paris’s Institut Pasteur announces that researchers have destroyed “reservoir” cells, i.e. infected immune cells. Their findings were published in the Cell Metabolism journal on December 20.
In the release, the scientists note that current antiretroviral therapy can’t eliminate HIV from a patient’s body because the virus lurks in CD4 T lymphocytes, a type of immune cell that represents the “main target of HIV.” Specifically, the virus “primarily targets cells with high metabolic activity” and “hijacks the energy and products provided by the cell.”
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So the scientists used metabolic activity inhibitors — similar to those already investigated in cancer research — to block the infection.
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“We have observed ex vivo that, thanks to certain metabolic inhibitors, the virus is no longer able to infect cells and amplification is halted in reservoirs of patients receiving antiretroviral treatment,” said study coordinator Asier Saez-Cirion.
Now that they’ve observed these results ex vivo — outside of the body — their next step is to assess the potential of the metabolic inhibitors in vivo — within the body.
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The study was funded by the Institut Pasteur, AmfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research) and the French HIV/AIDS nonprofit Sidaction.
iamru2
So nice to get a positive uplifting bit of news instead of the constant so and claps back and breaks twitter stories.
jestgr
Please, please, PLEASE keep us up to date as this progresses, Queerty. Thanks!
Chrisk
Yeah that would go well beyond just undetectable.
startenout
Fabulous news!
NCSilverBear
Why isn’t this front page news on every paper in the Country! WOW!
charlietex
I hate to temper the enthusiasm, but numerous other approaches which have succeeded in animal testing or in a lab have failed in human testing. In addition HIV hides in cells other than CD4 cells, so it doesn’t seem like this alone would amount to a cure. This is currently such an early finding it isn’t even being covered in the HIV press, let alone in the mainstream media.
Kangol
Very glad to see this good news on here. Let’s hope 2019 brings a lot more of it.
Gary Q VV
One step at a time will defeat this enemy of such a multitude of innocent and decent people. Every time a breakthrough in curing AIDS or eliminating HIV gives us the sense of empowerment. So, don’t discount any new discovery, and don’t make stupid statements about a most serious topic.
Geeker
I really hope this leads to a cure very soon.
Me2
An actual cure within our lifetime is more of a reality right now than it has ever been. What an encouraging way to head into the new year!
fredo777
Thanks, Debbie Downer.