Scientists May Have Found Ways to Completely Eliminate HIV From Cells

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – One of the features of the HIV virus is that it is able to “escape” the immune system, by hiding dormant in the infected cells (the so-called viral latency), which is the greatest obstacle to its total elimination from infected organisms.

Two studies released on Wednesday, January 22nd, by the scientific journal Nature present findings that can change this scenario.

Scientists at the universities of North Carolina and Emory have found ways to reactivate the dormant virus, potentially exposing it to elimination by the immune system.

Currently, treatment for HIV carriers is based on so-called antiretroviral therapy, which limits infection and keeps the virus “hidden” in CD4+ T cells, undetectable by the immune system.

The theory behind the new research is based on the use of drugs that reverse this latency and may increase the expression of the viral gene, rendering the viral cells vulnerable to elimination by the immune system. The tests were conducted on mice and monkeys undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

A drug called AZD5582 was used in the first study, which was initially designed to treat cancer and is effective in activating the latent HIV virus.

A different approach was used in the second study, combining two immunological interventions.

Scientists injected an antibody to clean CD8+ T cells, which are important for controlling the infection. They then applied a modified version of IL-15 cytokine to show that this combination caused viral RNA to surface in blood and tissues where it had not previously been detected.

“This is an exciting scientific achievement, and we hope it will be a significant step for one day to eradicate the virus in people living with HIV,” said Ann Chahroudi, one of the researchers at Emory University.

It is not yet known whether the results can be reproduced in humans, but the research represents a major breakthrough in understanding HIV and the ways in which the virus can be manipulated.