Scientists from the US have announced an improved way to detect hidden HIV. The group of Professor Phalguni Gupta at the University of Pittsburgh describe a new test for measuring latent HIV. Published in Nature Medicine, the test could be used to see how effective an HIV cure strategy is. Why is a new test…
CRISPR/cas9 is a gene-editing strategy acting like a targeted pair of scissors. The technology has generated a lot of excitement, especially in the field of HIV. This is because it can target specific genes, and potentially remove HIV from infected cells. A recent study has been widely reported this month as bringing us one step…
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Sharon Lewin, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and Thomas Aagaard Rasmussen, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Antiretroviral therapy has revolutionised the lives of people living with HIV. In many countries, the life expectancy for someone living with…
T cells that target HIV but are resistant to HIV infection are the latest strategy in the battle against HIV. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are a concept also in development for treating cancer. Seattle researchers have published a new approach for developing CAR-T cells. This new strategy could eventually lead to better outcomes for people…
The international media have been at it again this week, with claims of an HIV cure thrown around in a sensationalist click-bait fest, amplified through social media channels and networks around the world. As we’ve warned before, these sorts of headlines should be read VERY carefully. So what’s behind all this attention, and what is…
The desire for a cure for HIV has existed since the start of the epidemic. In the 1980s, many people were optimistic that science would find a cure within a few years. However, as more was learned about the complexity of this retrovirus, hope of a cure gave way to the goal to develop effective…
Calls to unite HIV positive people in the struggle to control the HIV epidemic have opened the International AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa. From grandmothers rallying to demand treatment access and recognition to discussions of psycho-social issues associated with cure research participation, the conference is set to draw plenty of international attention. From scientific…
Researchers have revealed the final results of the REDUC Part B clinical trial to reduce the HIV reservoir in a presentation at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston. Led by Associate Professor Ole Søgaard from Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, the REDUC Part B trial explored the so-called “shock and kill” approach…
The news broke in April 2013. Danish researchers were mere months from finding a cure for HIV. As other media outlets eagerly picked up the Telegraph’s electrifying report, word coursed lightning-swift online and through social media, stoking hopes that talk of ending the HIV epidemic,increasingly common of late, might soon become reality. There was one…
In addition to possibly being a component of the HIV reservoir, fat tissue may also be a source of harmful chronic inflammation among those living with the virus. Publishing their findings in PLOS Pathogens, researchers studied adipose (fat) tissue in both macaque monkeys infected with SIV, HIV’s simian cousin, as well as HIV-positive humans who…
HIV infection takes a heavy toll on the gut. The virus enters the body and heads straight for the stomach and intestines....
