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HIV Cure now in sight
BGL
#61 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 12:05:48 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 10/11/2009
Posts: 1,223
JkMwatha wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
maka wrote:
@those in the know,how true is this...

A person with HIV can test negative if he or she takes medicine promptly and eats well...


AntiRetroViral (ARV) drugs assist by interfering with and interrupting viral replication and thus allowing now's immune system to recover. What then happens is that so long as the patient remains adherent to the medications (for treatment to be effective, adherence rates of over 97% are expected, which means a patient should miss, if at all, a maximum of one dose per 30days. It's that strict!), and barring appearance of viral resistance, the viral load (i.e no. of viral particles) should decline as the immune system recovers (as evidenced by general increase in especially levels of CD4 immune cells and declining incidence of common opportunistic infections such as T.B and cryptococcal meningitis).

The viral load will decline to such low levels that it remains or becomes undetectable, key word here being UNDETECTABLE. It doesn't mean that there're no viral particles, it just means that the machines we currently have are not sensitive enough to detect the few viral particles that are present.

I should hasten to add, too, that there are what we call sacrosanct sites where the virus 'hides' and drugs cannot get to it, examples being the brain, the testes and the liver. In the brain, there's what we call the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB or big bad boysmile ). In this BBB, research has shown that there exists a glycoprotein that ACTIVELY pumps out ARV molecules and prevents the drugs from achieving therapeutic levels in the brain. In the testes, there too exists a Testicular-Blood Barrier which also prevents drug molecules from crossing and concentrating in the testes. These mechanisms are thought to have evolved over time to prevent harmful stuff from gaining entry into and accumulating in these organs but, to the extent that it prevents us from achieving therapeutic concentrations of drugs in there, then it serves to our disadvantage. Call it a double-edged sword.

Of importance here too, it's worth remembering that viruses in general, including HIV, aren't organisms per se like say bacteria or fungi but rather are just genetic material. We have both DNA viruses (e.g Hepatitis B virus - HBV) and RNA viruses (e.g HIV). Viruses thus are obligate inracellular (can only exist viably inside a LIVING cell) and thrive by hijacking the normal cell division to replicate themselves.

These then are the reasons we recommend to patients that, no matter the undetectable viral levels, they must continue taking their ARVs as well as minimize risky sexual behavior (unprotected sex). As part of therapeutic monitoring, HIV +ve patients on ARVs have their biochemical and viral load tests done consistently every 6months.


Impressive info there... So what's the answer to Maka's question above?

Also how authoritative is this info below

1. You Can Test Negative Once You’ve Tested HIV-Positive

2. Undetectable Viral Load Essentially Eliminates Transmission Risk in Straight Couples


Question 1 is well answered so i will not repeat and will go to question 2 thanks @Rankaz13

It is [NOT] true that a patient with undetectable viral load cannot transmit infection but [IT IS VERY RARE]. At this point let me say that most of the replication is occurring in the LYMPHOID tissues while we are only sampling the blood tissue. However, you all know it depends on the route of transmission.
There are also some people whom HIV infection with some viruses (CCR5 tropic) is impossible. For instance 1-2% of Caucasians with delta32 CCR5 do not express a functional CCR5 and cannot be infected by CCR5 tropic viruses. In African populations (some in EA) we have delta24 CCR5 and the last time i did a flow cytometry experiment to assess expression it behaved the same way but this genotype but it is not well studied. There are also HLA variants that confer protection especially in discordant couples.



History will not remember you for your IQ. It will remember you for what you did. “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” Thomas Edison
mkenyan
#62 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 4:47:26 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 4/1/2009
Posts: 1,882
Rankaz13 wrote:
Mukiri wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
JkMwatha wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
maka wrote:
@those in the know,how true is this...

A person with HIV can test negative if he or she takes medicine promptly and eats well...


AntiRetroViral (ARV) drugs assist by interfering with and interrupting viral replication and thus allowing ..... As part of therapeutic monitoring, HIV +ve patients on ARVs have their biochemical and viral load tests done consistently every 6months.


Impressive info there... So what's the answer to Maka's question above?

Also how authoritative is this info below

1. You Can Test Negative Once You’ve Tested HIV-Positive

2. Undetectable Viral Load Essentially Eliminates Transmission Risk in Straight Couples


Question has already been answered. A -ve test result in a patient previously confirmed as +ve and subsequently put on ART (AntiRetroviral Therapy) isn't an indicator of total absence of virus. It's -ve because the viral load is undetectable, not because the virus is absent. Which is more or less what the first link you gave is trying to say in other words.

Your second link talks mainly about discordant couples having unprotected sex if the +ve one is on treatment and their viral load is undetectable. I just told if the sacrosanct sites where the virus hides, one of which is the testes. Question is, would you advocate for any woman to take that risk? I know I wouldn't. The study results talk of 96% reduction but what of the remaining 4%? And finally, the article concludes, and I quote:

“If you want to have your risk of transmitting to others be zero, be on antiretrovirals religiously and also use condoms,” Vermund says.

Need I say any more?



If I understand @Maka's question correctly, He's asking... If he goes for a test, WITH A PARTNER, are there chances that the said partner could test -Negative, but are in actual fact +Positive?

And if that were the case, isn't that information that should be out in the general public. How many people are going for test, feeling 'safe', and going on to contract the virus? SCARY STUFF!!



Ok @Mukiri, you bring up a different angle to his query that I hadn't foreseen.

In the HIV life cycle, it ordinarily takes about 3weeks to 6 months for the virus to appear in blood after initial sexual exposure. This period can vary, either shorter or longer, depending on your initial immune system prior to exposure. This is what is generally known as the window period of the infection, i.e. the period during which one is HIV +ve and infectious (i.e. capable of infecting others) but the virus isn't yet detectable in blood. That's why it's generally recommended to repeat the test 30days and 90days (3 months) after the initial test. The vast majority of people, well over 90%, have a measurable/detectable immune response within 3 months.

I know at the back of your mind is probably a curiosity about the mechanisms of testing, a curiosity I now seek to assuage. There generally are two types of HIV tests that we use locally:

i. Antibody-based tests e.g. Western blot and ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) test. These generally test for the anti-HIV antibodies. This means that after the initial exposure, the virus must replicate enough for the body to mount an immune response whose antibodies are then detected by the test. This explains the latent or lag-period during which it is possible to get a -ve test even though one is actually +ve.

Being an antibody-based test, two main candidates are especially likely to give false +ve (as opposed to the aforementioned false -ve) results:
- candidates of a HIV vaccine test.
-young babies born of HIV +ve mothers, since babies get and rely on maternal antibodies until such a time that their immune systems are mature enough to make their own (see a brief explanation here: http://biology.stackexch...ze-their-own-antibodies).

The rapid tests commonly used in hospitals and VCT Centres fall under this category.

ii. Antigen-based tests e.g. PCR and p24 tests. These tests detect the actual viral DNA (the antigen) in blood long before the body has had a chance to mount an immune response to it. For this reason then, it is the most accurate but also very expensive. Locally, we only use it routinely for Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) through KEMRI as research clearly shows general improvement in quality of life if ART is initiated early for HIV +ve infants. Remember too that the virus tends to 'hide' in the brain and can thus cause some CNS-deficiency if treatment is delayed.

p24 is no longer widely used due to its lack of sensitivity and the fact that it is only applicable at a specific time in the course of infection, just before the body begins to mount an immune response.

I hope this is clear now my friends. Kama kuna maswali mengine, yalete pia. @Lolest! uliza yako pia mblo.

in effect those who go to vct for test then have unprotected sex coz the result is negative are playing around with their lives? to be extra sure you need to both go to vct, wait 6 months (and hope there are no infection to either party in the meantime) and then do the test again before being sure?
Impunity
#63 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 5:04:51 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 3/2/2009
Posts: 26,325
Location: Masada
mkenyan wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
Mukiri wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
JkMwatha wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
maka wrote:
@those in the know,how true is this...

A person with HIV can test negative if he or she takes medicine promptly and eats well...


AntiRetroViral (ARV) drugs assist by interfering with and interrupting viral replication and thus allowing ..... As part of therapeutic monitoring, HIV +ve patients on ARVs have their biochemical and viral load tests done consistently every 6months.


Impressive info there... So what's the answer to Maka's question above?

Also how authoritative is this info below

1. You Can Test Negative Once You’ve Tested HIV-Positive

2. Undetectable Viral Load Essentially Eliminates Transmission Risk in Straight Couples


Question has already been answered. A -ve test result in a patient previously confirmed as +ve and subsequently put on ART (AntiRetroviral Therapy) isn't an indicator of total absence of virus. It's -ve because the viral load is undetectable, not because the virus is absent. Which is more or less what the first link you gave is trying to say in other words.

Your second link talks mainly about discordant couples having unprotected sex if the +ve one is on treatment and their viral load is undetectable. I just told if the sacrosanct sites where the virus hides, one of which is the testes. Question is, would you advocate for any woman to take that risk? I know I wouldn't. The study results talk of 96% reduction but what of the remaining 4%? And finally, the article concludes, and I quote:

“If you want to have your risk of transmitting to others be zero, be on antiretrovirals religiously and also use condoms,” Vermund says.

Need I say any more?



If I understand @Maka's question correctly, He's asking... If he goes for a test, WITH A PARTNER, are there chances that the said partner could test -Negative, but are in actual fact +Positive?

And if that were the case, isn't that information that should be out in the general public. How many people are going for test, feeling 'safe', and going on to contract the virus? SCARY STUFF!!



Ok @Mukiri, you bring up a different angle to his query that I hadn't foreseen.

In the HIV life cycle, it ordinarily takes about 3weeks to 6 months for the virus to appear in blood after initial sexual exposure. This period can vary, either shorter or longer, depending on your initial immune system prior to exposure. This is what is generally known as the window period of the infection, i.e. the period during which one is HIV +ve and infectious (i.e. capable of infecting others) but the virus isn't yet detectable in blood. That's why it's generally recommended to repeat the test 30days and 90days (3 months) after the initial test. The vast majority of people, well over 90%, have a measurable/detectable immune response within 3 months.

I know at the back of your mind is probably a curiosity about the mechanisms of testing, a curiosity I now seek to assuage. There generally are two types of HIV tests that we use locally:

i. Antibody-based tests e.g. Western blot and ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) test. These generally test for the anti-HIV antibodies. This means that after the initial exposure, the virus must replicate enough for the body to mount an immune response whose antibodies are then detected by the test. This explains the latent or lag-period during which it is possible to get a -ve test even though one is actually +ve.

Being an antibody-based test, two main candidates are especially likely to give false +ve (as opposed to the aforementioned false -ve) results:
- candidates of a HIV vaccine test.
-young babies born of HIV +ve mothers, since babies get and rely on maternal antibodies until such a time that their immune systems are mature enough to make their own (see a brief explanation here: http://biology.stackexch...ze-their-own-antibodies).

The rapid tests commonly used in hospitals and VCT Centres fall under this category.

ii. Antigen-based tests e.g. PCR and p24 tests. These tests detect the actual viral DNA (the antigen) in blood long before the body has had a chance to mount an immune response to it. For this reason then, it is the most accurate but also very expensive. Locally, we only use it routinely for Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) through KEMRI as research clearly shows general improvement in quality of life if ART is initiated early for HIV +ve infants. Remember too that the virus tends to 'hide' in the brain and can thus cause some CNS-deficiency if treatment is delayed.

p24 is no longer widely used due to its lack of sensitivity and the fact that it is only applicable at a specific time in the course of infection, just before the body begins to mount an immune response.

I hope this is clear now my friends. Kama kuna maswali mengine, yalete pia. @Lolest! uliza yako pia mblo.

in effect those who go to vct for test then have unprotected sex coz the result is negative are playing around with their lives? to be extra sure you need to both go to vct, wait 6 months (and hope there are no infection to either party in the meantime) and then do the test again before being sure?


I think ni Mungu tu inatulinda sisi binadamu!!!
Pray Pray Pray
Portfolio: Sold
You know you've made it when you get a parking space for your yatcht.

JkMwatha
#64 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 5:12:24 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
BGL wrote:
........

.....
Question 1 is well answered so i will not repeat and will go to question 2 thanks @Rankaz13

It is [NOT] true that a patient with undetectable viral load cannot transmit infection but [IT IS VERY RARE]. At this point let me say that most of the replication is occurring in the LYMPHOID tissues while we are only sampling the blood tissue. However, you all know it depends on the route of transmission.
There are also some people whom HIV infection with some viruses (CCR5 tropic) is impossible. For instance 1-2% of Caucasians with delta32 CCR5 do not express a functional CCR5 and cannot be infected by CCR5 tropic viruses. In African populations (some in EA) we have delta24 CCR5 and the last time i did a flow cytometry experiment to assess expression it behaved the same way but this genotype but it is not well studied. There are also HLA variants that confer protection especially in discordant couples.





Good info BGL but boss,... come srow, come srow....

This is my question/scenerio

(not their real names)

Otieno hooks up with Nduku. Otieno suggests that they both go for a HIV tests. Nduku agrees, but has a hidden secret. She is positive but and has been on treatment for some time and viral load/count is undetectable. So she expects to show up as negative.... Even if they decided to go for repeat tests after six months, the results for Nduku will be the same as long as she remains on treatment.

Is this a likely possibility?




BGL
#65 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 6:46:58 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 10/11/2009
Posts: 1,223
JkMwatha wrote:
BGL wrote:
........

.....
Question 1 is well answered so i will not repeat and will go to question 2 thanks @Rankaz13

It is [NOT] true that a patient with undetectable viral load cannot transmit infection but [IT IS VERY RARE]. At this point let me say that most of the replication is occurring in the LYMPHOID tissues while we are only sampling the blood tissue. However, you all know it depends on the route of transmission.
There are also some people whom HIV infection with some viruses (CCR5 tropic) is impossible. For instance 1-2% of Caucasians with delta32 CCR5 do not express a functional CCR5 and cannot be infected by CCR5 tropic viruses. In African populations (some in EA) we have delta24 CCR5 and the last time i did a flow cytometry experiment to assess expression it behaved the same way but this genotype but it is not well studied. There are also HLA variants that confer protection especially in discordant couples.





Good info BGL but boss,... come srow, come srow....

This is my question/scenerio

(not their real names)

Otieno hooks up with Nduku. Otieno suggests that they both go for a HIV tests. Nduku agrees, but has a hidden secret. She is positive but and has been on treatment for some time and viral load/count is undetectable. So she expects to show up as negative.... Even if they decided to go for repeat tests after six months, the results for Nduku will be the same as long as she remains on treatment.

Is this a likely possibility?






[VIRAL LOAD] just like [CD4 count] are not a diagnostic tools ..... but rather aid clinicians in management of the disease. ELISA and PCR are designed for diagnosis.

Using classical PCR and specific primers you can detect an infection over a period of approximately 24hrs. Realtime PCR is even more sensitive and as from 2013 Biorad has introduced Bio-Rad's cutting-edge digital PCR products for the absolute quantification of even traces of HIV after entry.
History will not remember you for your IQ. It will remember you for what you did. “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” Thomas Edison
Rankaz13
#66 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 6:57:12 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
JkMwatha wrote:
BGL wrote:
........

.....
Question 1 is well answered so i will not repeat and will go to question 2 thanks @Rankaz13

It is [NOT] true that a patient with undetectable viral load cannot transmit infection but [IT IS VERY RARE]. At this point let me say that most of the replication is occurring in the LYMPHOID tissues while we are only sampling the blood tissue. However, you all know it depends on the route of transmission.
There are also some people whom HIV infection with some viruses (CCR5 tropic) is impossible. For instance 1-2% of Caucasians with delta32 CCR5 do not express a functional CCR5 and cannot be infected by CCR5 tropic viruses. In African populations (some in EA) we have delta24 CCR5 and the last time i did a flow cytometry experiment to assess expression it behaved the same way but this genotype but it is not well studied. There are also HLA variants that confer protection especially in discordant couples.





Good info BGL but boss,... come srow, come srow....

This is my question/scenerio

(not their real names)

Otieno hooks up with Nduku. Otieno suggests that they both go for a HIV tests. Nduku agrees, but has a hidden secret. She is positive but and has been on treatment for some time and viral load/count is undetectable. So she expects to show up as negative.... Even if they decided to go for repeat tests after six months, the results for Nduku will be the same as long as she remains on treatment.

Is this a likely possibility?



I think not. As long as the virus is there, even though the levels be low, the body will always mount an immune response to it i.e antibodies. And since the tests we routinely use are antibody-based, there you are.

What say you @BGL?smile
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
JkMwatha
#67 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 8:20:55 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
Rankaz13 wrote:


.....

This is my question/scenerio

(not their real names)

Otieno hooks up with Nduku. Otieno suggests that they both go for a HIV tests. Nduku agrees, but has a hidden secret. She is positive but and has been on treatment for some time and viral load/count is undetectable. So she expects to show up as negative.... Even if they decided to go for repeat tests after six months, the results for Nduku will be the same as long as she remains on treatment.

Is this a likely possibility?




I think not. As long as the virus is there, even though the levels be low, the body will always mount an immune response to it i.e antibodies. And since the tests we routinely use are antibody-based, there you are.

What say you @BGL?smile
[/quote]



Asante Rankaz. Crystal clear.
BGL
#68 Posted : Friday, December 27, 2013 8:31:48 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 10/11/2009
Posts: 1,223
Rankaz13 wrote:
JkMwatha wrote:
BGL wrote:
........

.....
Question 1 is well answered so i will not repeat and will go to question 2 thanks @Rankaz13

It is [NOT] true that a patient with undetectable viral load cannot transmit infection but [IT IS VERY RARE]. At this point let me say that most of the replication is occurring in the LYMPHOID tissues while we are only sampling the blood tissue. However, you all know it depends on the route of transmission.
There are also some people whom HIV infection with some viruses (CCR5 tropic) is impossible. For instance 1-2% of Caucasians with delta32 CCR5 do not express a functional CCR5 and cannot be infected by CCR5 tropic viruses. In African populations (some in EA) we have delta24 CCR5 and the last time i did a flow cytometry experiment to assess expression it behaved the same way but this genotype but it is not well studied. There are also HLA variants that confer protection especially in discordant couples.





Good info BGL but boss,... come srow, come srow....

This is my question/scenerio

(not their real names)

Otieno hooks up with Nduku. Otieno suggests that they both go for a HIV tests. Nduku agrees, but has a hidden secret. She is positive but and has been on treatment for some time and viral load/count is undetectable. So she expects to show up as negative.... Even if they decided to go for repeat tests after six months, the results for Nduku will be the same as long as she remains on treatment.

Is this a likely possibility?



I think not. As long as the virus is there, even though the levels be low, the body will always mount an immune response to it i.e antibodies. And since the tests we routinely use are antibody-based, there you are.

What say you @BGL?smile


I agree with you @Rankaz

Infact even if functional cure occurs [IF WE WILL ever ACHIEVE THAT] you still have remnants of memory B cells which you can detect by Elisa.
History will not remember you for your IQ. It will remember you for what you did. “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” Thomas Edison
QD
#69 Posted : Monday, December 30, 2013 1:34:07 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 8/5/2009
Posts: 597
So who has the contacts of this Dr. Barasa Situma coz hearing from him would give some credence.
The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence
BGL
#70 Posted : Saturday, January 04, 2014 6:42:23 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 10/11/2009
Posts: 1,223
Is It Possible to Cure Cancer With HIV Cells?

Genetically engineered HIV cells are being used to fight cancer.
To achieve what seems to be impossible, a team of doctors from the University of Pennsylvania, led by Carl H. June, MD, have genetically engineered HIV to target cancer in patients.

http://www.hivplusmag.co...le-cure-cancer-hiv-cells
History will not remember you for your IQ. It will remember you for what you did. “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” Thomas Edison
Rankaz13
#71 Posted : Saturday, January 11, 2014 7:44:20 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
smile Mother's journey from HIV infection to medicare & breastfeeding a healthy child.
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Rankaz13
#72 Posted : Saturday, January 25, 2014 5:57:08 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
Iko chida Sad Pray

Aggressive HIV strain leads to AIDS more quickly.

Quote:
The new strain is a "recombinant" virus - a cross of two viruses that meet in an infected person.

The two viruses, known as 02AG and A3, are the two most common strains in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. The recombinant strain is called A3/02 and so far has only been seen in the region.


Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Rankaz13
#73 Posted : Tuesday, February 11, 2014 10:59:03 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
I watched an interview on bbc tv over the weekend and was impressed:

1. New approach to viral treatment: DRACO

2. Anti-Viral drugs may soon be available.

3. New nanotechnology 'traps' viruses before they infect host cells.
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Rankaz13
#74 Posted : Thursday, March 06, 2014 7:23:40 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
1. Breakthrough in long-lasting AIDS drugs in monkeys.

Quote:
A single shot of antiretroviral drugs protected lab monkeys from the AIDS virus for weeks, according to two US trials released on Tuesday that open the way to tests on humans.

In separate work, two teams of virologists found that monkeys which received a monthly injection of a prototype drug were completely shielded from the simian equivalent of HIV.

The research builds on previous trials showing that people who take a small daily doses of antiretroviral drugs can slash their risk of being infected by an HIV-positive partner by more than 90 percent.


2. Taking 'scissors' to immune cells shows HIV promise

Quote:
A new gene therapy approach that engineers a person's T-cells so that they become resistant to the human immunodeficiency virus has shown early signs of success, researchers said Wednesday.

Also called gene editing, the process acts like molecular scissors to snip off an entry portal for HIV so the virus cannot enter these key immune cells.

Once the cells lack the CCR5 protein, the immune system behaves much the way it does in a rare set of people -- about one percent of the population -- who are born with a genetic mutation that prevents them from getting HIV.
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Kratos
#75 Posted : Thursday, March 06, 2014 7:34:40 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 9/19/2011
Posts: 1,694
Rankaz13 wrote:
1. Breakthrough in long-lasting AIDS drugs in monkeys.

Quote:
A single shot of antiretroviral drugs protected lab monkeys from the AIDS virus for weeks, according to two US trials released on Tuesday that open the way to tests on humans.

In separate work, two teams of virologists found that monkeys which received a monthly injection of a prototype drug were completely shielded from the simian equivalent of HIV.

The research builds on previous trials showing that people who take a small daily doses of antiretroviral drugs can slash their risk of being infected by an HIV-positive partner by more than 90 percent.


2. Taking 'scissors' to immune cells shows HIV promise

Quote:
A new gene therapy approach that engineers a person's T-cells so that they become resistant to the human immunodeficiency virus has shown early signs of success, researchers said Wednesday.

Also called gene editing, the process acts like molecular scissors to snip off an entry portal for HIV so the virus cannot enter these key immune cells.

Once the cells lack the CCR5 protein, the immune system behaves much the way it does in a rare set of people -- about one percent of the population -- who are born with a genetic mutation that prevents them from getting HIV.


From a layman's perspective what happens with such research outcomes, over the years I've read about a few breakthroughs but none has yet to be commercialized.

“People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it.” ― Walter C. Langer
Rankaz13
#76 Posted : Thursday, March 06, 2014 8:15:36 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
Kratos wrote:
Rankaz13 wrote:
1. Breakthrough in long-lasting AIDS drugs in monkeys.

Quote:
A single shot of antiretroviral drugs protected lab monkeys from the AIDS virus for weeks, according to two US trials released on Tuesday that open the way to tests on humans.

In separate work, two teams of virologists found that monkeys which received a monthly injection of a prototype drug were completely shielded from the simian equivalent of HIV.

The research builds on previous trials showing that people who take a small daily doses of antiretroviral drugs can slash their risk of being infected by an HIV-positive partner by more than 90 percent.


2. Taking 'scissors' to immune cells shows HIV promise

Quote:
A new gene therapy approach that engineers a person's T-cells so that they become resistant to the human immunodeficiency virus has shown early signs of success, researchers said Wednesday.

Also called gene editing, the process acts like molecular scissors to snip off an entry portal for HIV so the virus cannot enter these key immune cells.

Once the cells lack the CCR5 protein, the immune system behaves much the way it does in a rare set of people -- about one percent of the population -- who are born with a genetic mutation that prevents them from getting HIV.


From a layman's perspective what happens with such research outcomes, over the years I've read about a few breakthroughs but none has yet to be commercialized.


From the time such a research outcome is made to commercialization is a long, treacherous road, often taking as long as 20yrs or more. Often times, some previously unforeseen problems crop up that either delay the final outcome (e.g. funding, legal and ethical issues) or lead to it's eventual abandonment altogether (e.g. toxicity of the molecules being studied). Remember too that most of this research will initially have been conducted on animals and sometimes the results are not replicable in humans.
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
murchr
#77 Posted : Sunday, January 17, 2016 9:14:52 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 2/26/2012
Posts: 15,979
Progress:

Could HIV drugs give hope to couples with the disease?

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35325679
"There are only two emotions in the market, hope & fear. The problem is you hope when you should fear & fear when you should hope: - Jesse Livermore
.
Ngalaka
#78 Posted : Sunday, January 17, 2016 12:21:02 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 10/29/2008
Posts: 1,566

President Obama said that we are on the track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS, it is within our grasp.
Is there something significant in the works in US!
Isuni yilu yi maa me muyo - ni Mbisuu
Rankaz13
#79 Posted : Sunday, January 17, 2016 11:06:00 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 2,841
Location: Here
murchr wrote:
Progress:

Could HIV drugs give hope to couples with the disease?

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35325679


Indeed. Studies on so-called PrEP been going on for a while now, initially comparing use of TDF alone vs. TDF+FTC combination. The latter was seen to be superior. Once further studies, now ongoing, are finalized and results released, NASCOP will then come up with national guidelines and avail drugs for the same. Many questions, obviously, are yet to be addressed.
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
murchr
#80 Posted : Monday, January 18, 2016 4:07:57 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 2/26/2012
Posts: 15,979
Rankaz13 wrote:
murchr wrote:
Progress:

Could HIV drugs give hope to couples with the disease?

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35325679


Indeed. Studies on so-called PrEP been going on for a while now, initially comparing use of TDF alone vs. TDF+FTC combination. The latter was seen to be superior. Once further studies, now ongoing, are finalized and results released, NASCOP will then come up with national guidelines and avail drugs for the same. Many questions, obviously, are yet to be addressed.


Such as?

"There are only two emotions in the market, hope & fear. The problem is you hope when you should fear & fear when you should hope: - Jesse Livermore
.
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