Researchers said they have discovered an HIV antibody
that can suppress the virus for nearly six months without additional treatment.
The new study involved about half of a group of
monkeys, infused with a broadly neutralising antibody to HIV combined with an
immune stimulatory compound.
The findings, released at the 25th Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, lend a clue to strategies
that attempt to achieve sustained, drug-free viral remission in people living
with HIV.
Being supported in part by the U.S. National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the study may have targeted the viral
reservoir, populations of long-lived, latently infected cells that harbour the
virus and that lead to resurgent viral replication when suppressive therapy was
stopped.
“HIV excels at evading the immune system by hiding out
in certain immune cells,” said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci.
“The virus can be suppressed to very low levels with
antiretroviral therapy, but quickly rebounds to high levels if a person stops
taking medications as prescribed.”
“The findings from this early stage research offer
further evidence that achieving sustained viral remission without daily
medication might be possible,” he added.
In the study, scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center infected 44 rhesus macaques with simian human immunodeficiency
virus, an HIV-like virus commonly used in nonhuman primate studies.
They then initiated daily antiretroviral therapy
during acute infection to suppress the virus to below detectable levels in the
monkey’s blood.
After a 96-week treatment, researchers divided the
monkeys into four equal groups and continued to administer ART for 16
additional weeks, with an aim to determine whether the combination of HIV
antibody and immune stimulant could reduce the viral reservoir while virus
replication was well controlled by the ART.
After discontinuation of ART, the virus rebounded in
the blood of all 11 monkeys that neither received HIV antibodies or immune
stimulant after a median of 21 days.
The experts also said six of 11 monkeys that received
the therapy combination showed a delayed viral rebound after a median of 112
days, and five others of the 11 did not rebound for at least 168 days.
“Our findings suggest that the development of
interventions to activate and eliminate a fraction of the viral reservoir might
be possible,” said Dan Barouch, principal investigator of the study.
The researchers said compared with the antiretroviral
therapy which needs to be taken daily, antibodies to HIV tend to last longer in
the body and have shown promise for longer-acting HIV therapeutics and
prevention.
(NAN)
Jubilation in the world as Researchers discover new HIV antibody
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Monday, March 05, 2018
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