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Body's 'killer' cells can hunt HIV
United Press International
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
ROCHESTER, Minn., May 18, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Mayo Clinic researchers said they have identified a way to manipulate the body's own natural killer cells to destroy the HIV virus.
Current treatments for the virus that causes AIDS block it from replicating, but do not kill the cells that contain HIV. The existence of these HIV-harboring cells -- often called the "latent" or "resting reservoir" cells -- is considered the main obstacle to curing AIDS.
"These drugs used to treat patients today -- which do an excellent job on suppressing replicating virus -- do nothing for the infectious virus contained within the latent reservoir," said Dr. Andrew Badley, the lead researcher. "If we can find a way to kill the virus that is present within the latent reservoir, we are on to a promising path towards a cure for HIV."
The team built upon their own earlier findings that showed a molecule named TRAIL is a potential agent for treating HIV within the resting reservoir. They experimented on cells taken from HIV-infected patients and then treated in laboratory test tubes. Results showed the molecule was effective in killing the HIV cells in a majority of samples.
United Press International
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
ROCHESTER, Minn., May 18, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Mayo Clinic researchers said they have identified a way to manipulate the body's own natural killer cells to destroy the HIV virus.
Current treatments for the virus that causes AIDS block it from replicating, but do not kill the cells that contain HIV. The existence of these HIV-harboring cells -- often called the "latent" or "resting reservoir" cells -- is considered the main obstacle to curing AIDS.
"These drugs used to treat patients today -- which do an excellent job on suppressing replicating virus -- do nothing for the infectious virus contained within the latent reservoir," said Dr. Andrew Badley, the lead researcher. "If we can find a way to kill the virus that is present within the latent reservoir, we are on to a promising path towards a cure for HIV."
The team built upon their own earlier findings that showed a molecule named TRAIL is a potential agent for treating HIV within the resting reservoir. They experimented on cells taken from HIV-infected patients and then treated in laboratory test tubes. Results showed the molecule was effective in killing the HIV cells in a majority of samples.
