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HIV can be flushed out of its hiding places in the body using a cancer drug, researchers show. The cornerstone of treatment, anti-retroviral therapy, kills the virus in the bloodstream but leaves "HIV reservoirs" untouched. The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, showed the drug was "highly potent" at reactivating hidden HIV.
Experts said the findings were interesting, but it was important to know if the drug was safe in patients.
The power of the HIV reservoir was shown with the case of the Mississippi baby. She was given antiretroviral drugs at birth. Despite appearing to be free of HIV for nearly two years after stopping treatment, she was found to be harbouring the virus.
A strategy known as "kick and kill" is thought to be key to curing HIV - the kick would wake up the dormant HIV allowing the drugs to kill it. The team at the UC Davis School of Medicine investigated PEP005 - one of the ingredients in a treatment to prevent cancer in sun-damaged skin. They tested the drug in cells grown in the laboratory and in parts of the immune system taken from 13 people with HIV.
The report said "PEP005 is highly potent in reactivating latent HIV" and that the chemical represents "a new group of lead compounds for combating HIV". One of the researchers, Dr Satya Dandekar, said: "We are excited to have identified an outstanding candidate for HIV reactivation and eradication that is already approved and is being used in patients."
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Friday July 31 2015, @08:53PM
while curing diseases this may be great for the short-term, one has to wonder about the long term. diseases do one job that (sane) people don't want to do: population control. the exploding global population is a problem and the destruction of our planet the evidence. the best long-term solution is intergalactic colonization but there has been meager investment in accomplishing it. it's quite the quagmire.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2015, @09:01PM
That doesn't work so well with diseases like AIDS. If a disease takes a while to kill someone, then it can reduce the productivity of their friends and family.