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| Scientists |
Scientists
have uncovered the genetic mechanism which appeared to have led two
HIV-infected men to experience a 'spontaneous cure'.
They
say the discovery could lead to new treatments for the disease.
Both
men were infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), one of them 30 years
ago, but never developed AIDS symptoms.
The
AIDS-causing virus remained in their immune cells but was inactivated because
its genetic code had been altered, the scientists said.
The
change appeared to be linked to increased activity of a common enzyme named
APOBEC, they theorised.
The
'apparent spontaneous cure' throws up an intriguing avenue for drug engineers,
the team said in a statement.
'The
work opens up therapeutic avenues for a cure, using or stimulating this enzyme,
and avenues for identifying individuals among newly-infected patients who have
a chance of a spontaneous cure.'
The
work, published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection, was carried
out by scientists at France's Institute of Health and Medical Research
(Inserm).
HIV
replicates by invading human CD4 immune cells, which it reprogrammes to become
virus factories.
A
rare group of people -- fewer than one percent of those infected -- are
naturally able to rein in viral replication and keep the virus at clinically
undetectable levels.
They
are known as 'elite controllers', but the mechanism by which they keep the
virus at bay remains a mystery.
The
French group looked at two such individuals, a 57-year-old man diagnosed
HIV-positive in 1985, and a 23-year-old diagnosed in 2011, and sequenced their
virus genomes.
- See more at:
http://aitonline.tv/post-scientists_uncover_the_secret_of_the__elite_controllers__who_can_spontaneously__cure__hiv#sthash.QxBLlzo4.dpuf
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