HIV
Since the beginning of the AIDS crisis, there have been a number of times when scientists were optimistic that they had discovered a major breakthrough and they asked is this the cure for AIDS and HIV.

Unfortunately, while strides have been made to contain the illness and make it move into the chronic medical condition category instead of terminal illness and  help those with the illness live longer, productive lives, there has been no cure.

The first case of AIDS was Ken Horne from San Francisco. On April 24, 1981, a doctor reported to the Center for Disease Control that Horne had Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS) and Cryptococcus Meningitis. Retroactively, the CDC would name him the first individual to be diagnosed in the United States with AIDS.

April 24, San Francisco resident Ken Horne is reported to the Center for Disease Control with Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Later in 1981, the CDC would retroactively identify him as the first patient of the AIDS epidemic in the US. He was also suffering from Cryptococcus.

Recently, researchers at Paris’ Institut Pasteur have announced that they may have found a breakthrough in the fight in the HIV battle for a cure.

The researchers have stated that they have been able to destroy cells which have been infected with the HIV virus. These cells are usually treated with antiretroviral medications.

The use of antiretroviral medications is not able to completely remove the virus from an individual’s body. The medical journal entitled ‘Cell Metabolism’ published an article of findings that scientists have been able to eliminate cells considered ‘reservoir’ cells which are infected with HIV.

A spokesperson from Institut Pasteur stated that today’s antiretroviral treatment purpose is to block HIV but it can not totally remove it from an individual’s body. The virus continues to hide in the CD4 T Lymphocyte immune cells. HIV goes after cells that have a high metabolic activity and steals the energy of those cells to help them multiply.

The scientists were able to destroy HIV infected cells ‘ex vivo.’ (outside the body) Next, the scientists will try to destroy the virus ‘in vivo’ (in the body.)

If scientists are able to complete this breakthrough, is this the cure for AIDS we have been looking for?

The researchers finish by stating that these new findings may open the door to a possibility that this will be a new way of helping people get into remission by getting rid of the ‘reservoir’ cells.

Generally, if an individual’s viral load remains low if the cell that the HIV hides in to obtain energy from it, this can keep it from spreading to other parts of the body. It is also hoped that the HIV virus can be stopped completely.

Sidaction and AmFar (American Foundation for AIDS research) funded the Institut Pasteur study.

If indeed scientist major breakthrough works and this is the cure for HIV and AIDS we have all been looking for, it will change the lives for the better for the over 1.1 million people in the U.S alone that are presently living with full-blown AIDS. It will some time to see if this is the breakthrough we have all been looking for, but it is a promising start.

Written By Barbara Sobel

Sources:

Deccan Chronical: Cure for Aids: Scientists destroy HIV-infected cells in major breakthrough
Daily Mail: Is a cure for Aids within reach? Scientists succeed in destroying HIV-infected cells in major breakthrough
Science Direct: Cellular Metabolism Is a Major Determinant of HIV-1 Reservoir Seeding in CD4+ T Cells and Offers an Opportunity to Tackle Infection
Interesting Engineering: AIDS Researchers Discover a Weak Link in HIV-Infected Cells

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Ted Eytan Flickr – Creative Commons License

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