HIV can now be prevented thru making cells resistant to the disease. After a major breakthrough of HIV, scientists found the prevention.
After a major breakthrough of HIV, scientists have found out antibodies to fight HIV to immune the body cells. Mail Online reported that the resistant cells can quickly replace the cells affected by HIV in a process that is more effective than any other risky therapies, but with a great potential to cure the disease.
According to Channel News Asia, the approach is in a form of a cellular vaccination with goals to provide long term protection on HIV for everyone. A staff scientist from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in California, Jia Xie stated that the ultimate goal of the research is to control the HIV present in patients with AIDS and prevent without the use of other risky medications.
The procedure will include injecting a vector called lentivirus to deliver a new gene to patients that will culture human cells. This will have the tethering HIV-fighting antibodies that will immune the cells and create a cell population that is resistant to HIV.
After lab experiments, the resistant cells were seen to replace the diseased cells with antibodies that protect the cells from HIV. Furthermore, the lab tests showed that the cells without the antibodies easily died off. The approach against the HIV must be bind with a cell surface receptor called the CD4.
Additionally, scientists further testify that the new approach offers a great advantage over other therapies that were previously used against HIV for the antibodies freely floats in the bloodstream. Also, it blocks HIV more effectively than soluble antibodies according to the results of an experiment performed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Thus, for testing the safeness of the new approach, the researchers plan to collaborate with the City of Hope's Center for Gene Therapy in California.
