Indeed, there is a very interesting museum in Eyam which discusses this very same genetic mutation and it's applications. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyam
I wrote an essay on this whilst at university a year ago, the actual story pre-dates that by about year I believe. It was quite big news, and made the New England Journal of Medicine (a decent enough publication for non research based work).
It works through a very promising and novel target area, basically the absence of two receptors on CD4+ immune cells causes resistance to the virus, as the HIV protein is unable to attach itself to the cell membrane. It means that a population naturally carrying this mutation (lacking the receptors) are naturally immune to HIV, whilst not seemingly expressing any side effects.
The major problem at the moment is how to knock out the expression of these receptors, or block a very high percentage of their activity for a sustained period of time. Obviously taking the bone marrow of a patient not susceptible to HIV isn't a solution for the millions of people infected... however the theory definitely gives a promising future therapeutic target! There are a number of tactics currently available to the pharmaceutical industry for cell specific targeting of medication, and a few for knocking out protein expression (the receptors are proteins) in cells too (I'm not sure if there are any therapeutic uses of these methods currently, but experimentally there are).
I can't say how research in the Pharmaceutical industry is going into a cure, but there are a huge number of promising leads for a successful therapy
This is a great breakthrough, and one I didn't think I'd see in my lifetime. Thank god there is now hope for all those who have that terrible disease, I just pray that the big pharma companies don't price the cure out of the budget of ordinary people.
The person concerned was "cured" by means of a bone marrow transplant from a HIV immune person. This will not become routine practice to cure people as bone marrow transplants are life threatening themselves, not only that but are very expensive to perform.
Stem cell treatment and drugs made with antibodies from a HIV immune person are they way forward I am guessing.
Who is to say that a cure doesn't already exist in drug form, held back by profiteering drug companies. There is no profit in cures only ongoing drug treatments. Personally I believe that cures for a number of illnesses are being held back in the name of profit.
This is why the Pharma industry should be about people and NOT profits.
Comments
Amazingly good news.
there's a small population of african-americans that are also immune, they have a mutation in the CCR5 receptor.
Read here for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_and_development_of_CCR5_receptor_antagonists
Indeed, there is a very interesting museum in Eyam which discusses this very same genetic mutation and it's applications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyam
I wrote an essay on this whilst at university a year ago, the actual story pre-dates that by about year I believe. It was quite big news, and made the New England Journal of Medicine (a decent enough publication for non research based work).
It works through a very promising and novel target area, basically the absence of two receptors on CD4+ immune cells causes resistance to the virus, as the HIV protein is unable to attach itself to the cell membrane. It means that a population naturally carrying this mutation (lacking the receptors) are naturally immune to HIV, whilst not seemingly expressing any side effects.
The major problem at the moment is how to knock out the expression of these receptors, or block a very high percentage of their activity for a sustained period of time. Obviously taking the bone marrow of a patient not susceptible to HIV isn't a solution for the millions of people infected... however the theory definitely gives a promising future therapeutic target! There are a number of tactics currently available to the pharmaceutical industry for cell specific targeting of medication, and a few for knocking out protein expression (the receptors are proteins) in cells too (I'm not sure if there are any therapeutic uses of these methods currently, but experimentally there are).
I can't say how research in the Pharmaceutical industry is going into a cure, but there are a huge number of promising leads for a successful therapy
The person concerned was "cured" by means of a bone marrow transplant from a HIV immune person. This will not become routine practice to cure people as bone marrow transplants are life threatening themselves, not only that but are very expensive to perform.
Stem cell treatment and drugs made with antibodies from a HIV immune person are they way forward I am guessing.
Who is to say that a cure doesn't already exist in drug form, held back by profiteering drug companies. There is no profit in cures only ongoing drug treatments. Personally I believe that cures for a number of illnesses are being held back in the name of profit.
This is why the Pharma industry should be about people and NOT profits.