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Loreen Willenberg, 66, from California, contracted HIV in 1992. According to scientists, a woman may be the first person to be “cured” of HIV, without the risk of a bone marrow transplant and, most interestingly, without taking medications. How it’s possible?
- “Cure” of HIV is by getting the virus out of the body. So far, two people have managed to do so
- New research suggests that some people’s bodies can cope with HIV suppression on its own so that it cannot reproduce effectively
- Such is the case of 66-year-old Loreen Willenberg, who has been regularly tested for over 15 years to detect the presence of HIV in her cells. The woman also took part in a new study along with 63 other people who are called elite controllers
Mechanism to control HIV infection
At the beginning it is worth explaining the issue of “cure” of HIV. HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus in the retrovirus family that causes AIDS. HIV ‘treatment’ consists in taking medications that stop the virus from multiplying. We can talk about a “cure” of HIV when the body gets rid of the virus or suppresses it so that it will not be able to multiply.
So far, it has been known about two people who have been “cured” of HIV – a man from Berlin and a man from London. They both underwent a bone marrow transplant because they had cancer. A donor was selected for transplantation that had a CCR5∆32 change in DNA ensuring resistance to HIV infection. The effect of the transplant was the removal of the virus from the body.
However, bone marrow transplantation is not a solution that could deal with the problem of HIV infection. As it turns out, scientists may have found another way to “cure” HIV. Research published in Nature outlines a new mechanism by which the body can suppress HIV. It has only been discovered now, thanks to advances in genetics.
A study published in Nature promises that a small number of people who have used antiretroviral therapy for many years may similarly suppress the virus and stop taking medications that, in addition to inhibiting viral multiplication, negatively affect the functioning of the body.
Scientists described the case of 66-year-old Loreen Willenberg, who contracted HIV in 1992. The woman is known to researchers because her body has been suppressing HIV for almost thirty years. In addition to her, the article describes the cases of 63 people who had the infection under control without medication, because the virus had apparently been “trapped” in the body so that it could not reproduce.
See also: A Brazilian “cured” of HIV? Exciting research
“Cure” HIV by suppressing the virus
The HIV virus is extremely cunning and difficult to eliminate. It infects cells that have the CD4 receptor on the surface of Th helper cells, as well as dendritic cells, macrophages, monocytes, eosinophils and microglia cells. Penetrating into cells, it multiplies easily.
In some people, over time, the immune system begins to “hunt” for cells that recognize the virus genome. A case study from a study published in Nature shows that in some cases viral RNA may be found in “blocked” regions of the genome where reproduction of genetic material is impossible.
The participants of the study were the so-called elite controllers, or 1 percent. HIV-infected people who are able to control the spread of the virus without the use of antiretroviral drugs. Scientists do not rule out that people who have been using antiretroviral drugs for years may also achieve a similar effect to elite controllers, especially if they receive therapies that can strengthen the immune system.
But going back to elite controllers, Dr. Steve Deeks, AIDS expert at the University of California, San Francisco and one of the authors of this study, said that “this unique group has provided some kind of evidence that the host’s immune response can achieve what we call treatment ».
Loreen Willberg has been involved in HIV control research for over 15 years. During this time, only one test from a few years ago showed a small amount of HIV in her body, but scientists have never been able to identify the virus in her tissues.
In a new study, scientists analyzed a woman’s 1,5 billion blood cells and found no trace of the virus. In their study, they used the latest techniques available to pinpoint the location of the virus in the genome.
The RNA of the virus was detected in 11 other people who participated in the study, but in parts of the genome that prevented the virus from replicating further.
The powerful strength of the immune system
Scientists have noticed that some people who are able to control the virus without drugs do not have detectable antibodies or immune cells that respond quickly to HIV. However, the team of researchers found that these people’s immune systems have a strong memory of the virus. T lymphocytes, which are responsible for the cellular immune response, eliminated cells with viral genes located in more accessible parts of the genome.
Until now, HIV research has focused on eradicating the entire virus hidden in the genome. However, new research suggests that if the virus stays only in parts of the genome where it has no chance of reproducing, the patient may be considered cured.
Scientists will no doubt continue to study the immune system in the fight against HIV.
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