Way to find hidden HIV-infected cells revealed

July 22, 2014 12:07 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 05:34 pm IST - Melbourne

Danish researchers said on Tuesday they had been able to activate hidden HIV-infected cells using a cancer drug, making it easier to then kill the virus in the body.

The findings, made in a clinical trial by scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark, were announced at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, which began on Sunday.

HIV is known to hibernate in so-called “reservoirs” in the body, and re-emerge to infect patients. Romidepsin, a drug used to treat rare lymphomas, was administered to six HIV-positive outpatients on antiretroviral therapy at the university hospital.

“We have now shown that we can activate a hibernating virus with Romidepsin and that the activated virus moves into the bloodstream in large amounts,” the researchers said in a statement.

Senior researcher Ole Sogaard told reporters the team found a significant release of viral cells in five of the six patients after administering the drug.

“The data is enough to say it was successful to kick the virus out of the cells,” he said.

Their work in pinning down the reservoirs is part of a larger study into the possibilities of combining the activation of the virus and a vaccine to strengthen the immune system of patients.

India has 3rd-highest number of HIV-infected people: UN

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.