HIV might finally have a cure
What's the story
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has shown that a combination of vaccines, antibodies, and immune-activating drugs can help HIV-positive individuals maintain low viral loads. This is without using antiretroviral therapy (ART) that has played a key role in HIV treatment for 40 years. The small study involved 10 people living with HIV and is seen as a potential step toward a "functional cure" for the virus.
Treatment details
The experimental treatment and its effects
The experimental combo treatment given to study participants before they stopped ART, included an HIV vaccine to train the immune system. It had broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that can target multiple HIV strains, and drugs to activate the dormant HIV in the body. After this treatment, seven out of 10 participants were able to maintain low or undetectable viral loads for several months without medication. One person even maintained control for over 18 months.
Impact
Implications of the study on HIV treatment
The study's results are significant as they suggest a possible way to control HIV without daily medication. This could greatly improve the quality of life for those living with the virus. However, scientists have cautioned that these findings should be viewed cautiously due to limitations such as a small sample size and no control group in this trial.
Research direction
Future research and potential applications
Bigger clinical trials are already being planned to validate these results. Scientists hope to personalize the immunotherapy approaches by studying genetic, viral, and immune factors that influence response. Globally, parallel efforts continue to push the field forward with gene-editing tech, stem-cell-based approaches, and methods to flush out the latent HIV.