“It’s a twofer,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which supported the work. “It’s very impressive, and the method is quite promising. But it’s still just in an animal model, so we’ll need to see evidence of whether it works in humans.” –The New York Times
By delivering synthetic genes into the muscles of the monkeys, the scientists are essentially re-engineering the animals to resist disease. Researchers are testing this novel approach not just against H.I.V., but also Ebola, malaria, influenza, and hepatitis. –The New York Times
An engineered protein that binds to the envelope of HIV viruses protects monkeys against infection with a simian–human virus that causes AIDS. This gene-therapy approach might provide an alternative to elusive HIV vaccines. -Nature
Now, a research team has shown that a lab-made molecule that mimics an antibody from our immune system may have more protective power than anything the body produces, keeping four monkeys free of HIV infection despite injection of large doses of the virus. –Science
Gene Therapy to Counter HIV InfectionInvestigators have designed a protein that, when expressed from transduced muscle, blocks infection with the human immunodeficiency virus in humanized mice and infection with the simian immunodeficiency virus in macaque monkeys. – The New England Journal of Medicine
Dr Anthony Fauci, of the US National Institutes of Health, said: “This innovative research holds promise for moving us toward two important goals: achieving long-term protection from HIV infection, and putting HIV into sustained remission in chronically infected people.” –BBC News
Among HIV researchers, one seemingly indestructible HIV-like strain has earned the nickname “death star.” That’s due to the strain’s reputation for killing off hopes for potential vaccines and immunotherapies that could prevent the disease. -Eurekalert
The federal government estimates that there are more than one million people living with HIV to date in the U.S. Among these people, one in every seven may not know that they are infected. -MSN
An investigational vaccine successfully protected against hard-to-fight HIV strains, with long-term efficacy from a single inoculation, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine. -Science Translational Medicine
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