Scientific investigation into the world's second man cleared of the AIDS vi...
LONDON/CHICAGO - Scientific investigation into the world’s second man cleared of the AIDS virus is zooming in on a gene and a treatment side-effect, as newly-enthused researchers strive to find a cure for the disease that has killed millions.
The transplant cleared the man’s cancer and his HIV, but the resistant genes may not be the sole cause of his HIV remission. “The new bone marrow is resistant to HIV, and also the new bone marrow is actively eliminating any HIV-infected cells through something called ‘graft versus host’ disease,” said Lewin, co-chair of the International AIDS Society’s cure research advisory board and a researcher at Australia’s Doherty Institute.
This “graft versus host” effect is akin to a deadly battle of two immune systems, explained Steven Deeks, an HIV expert at the University of California. The incoming transplanted donor-immune cells seek out and destroy all the host’s immune cells - including those in which HIV can hide out, he said. Teams in labs around the world, as well as drug companies including Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson and GSK’s ViiV Healthcare, have very early-stage cure studies in the works, said Rowena Johnston, director of research at U.S. AIDS research foundation amfAR.But the idea of looking for a cure involving bone marrow transplants to destroy and replace the immune systems of all those infected with HIV is a non-starter.
He and others said the London Patient’s case does, however, underline that in this approach, two factors combined are crucial - the CCR5 genetic resistance, plus its delivery to all cells, including immune cells.
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