Research in a monkey model of HIV infection has shown that the immune system undergoes distinct changes which are correlated to resistance to the virus. The work suggests that a particular type of immune cell may help hold the virus at bay. After being infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in a laboratory study, rhesus… [Continue Reading]
Anti-HIV Stem Cells Tested as Treatment in Mouse Models
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In a new approach to the treatment of HIV, researchers have tested transplants of stem cells that fight the virus in mice. The transformed cells effectively integrate into the immune system, and develop into a population of immune cells that are not susceptible to the virus. UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer… [Continue Reading]
HIV Not Treated Effectively in the Homeless
April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Progress in the treatment of HIV has flourished in the last few decades, with medications now established to prevent symptoms and transmission. A new study has found, however, that these medical advances aren’t helping those in poverty, where access to treatment is difficult, and the spread of the disease and incidence of symptoms are high…. [Continue Reading]
Vaccinating Immune Cells Directly Can Help Ward Off HIV Infection
February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A technique involving isolating a patient’s own immune cells, boosting them with a vaccine, and returning them to the body can help reduce HIV infection, according to researchers. The study demonstrated the procedure was safe, and improved the efficacy of the cells’ response to the virus. Scientists from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp… [Continue Reading]
Studies of Immune System and HIV Reveals Mechanism Cells Use to Fight Virus
February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A new study in a top scientific journal reveals a key way our immune cells try and fight HIV infection. The discovery, which has important implications for treating and preventing the disease, is that a protein destroys key molecules within a cell that the virus needs to replicate. A novel discovery by researchers at NYU… [Continue Reading]
Saliva Test for HIV as Effective As Blood Tests
January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
New research shows that a diagnostic test for HIV infection using saliva rather than drawing blood is just as accurate. The findings suggest that the saliva test could be broadly used for testing, without requiring individuals to go to public health clinics. A saliva test used to diagnose the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is comparable… [Continue Reading]
Discovery of Viral Protein Structure Helps Researchers Developing an HIV Antibody
December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
One reason why the immune system fails to fight off HIV infection is because the virus coats itself with sugar molecules, preventing our antibodies from recognizing it. Researchers have now determined how these sugars are structurally linked to viral proteins, and have discovered an antibody that can bind and recognize the sugar/protein combination. HIV is… [Continue Reading]
Preliminary Success in HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials
September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A newly developed HIV vaccine is in the middle of clinical trials, and early results show that it is effective, researchers report. The vaccine is highly effective at generating an immune response, and will now be subjected to Phase II and III trials to further understand the vaccine’s activity. Phase I clinical trials developed by… [Continue Reading]