Healing is one of the major themes of the current 20th World AIDS Conference in Melbourne. After the famous "Mississippi baby", the mood at events on the subject has alternated between constructive disillusionment and diligent optimism. A Danish scientist has now presented significant study results.
Enthusiasm is still being generated: Danish researcher Ole Schmeltz Søgaard from Aarhus University has presented a new study on the "shock and kill" strategy. Apparently, he has succeeded for the first time in emptying some HIV reservoirs in the body.
Many researchers have high hopes for this strategy. The prize question: Which substance can awaken "sleeper cells" in which HIV can survive in the body for years and decades? This is so important because HIV can multiply again from there if the HIV drugs already available are discontinued.
New findings on "Shock and kill"
If the cells can be awakened from their slumber, the HIV virus that lies dormant in them will be activated along with the cells. The HIV drugs already available would prevent the virus from multiplying in the body. However, the dormant cells would die a natural death after activation or be eliminated by the immune system, which would now recognise them as infected.
The Danish research team administered the cancer drug romidepsin three times at one-week intervals to HIV patients on an effective HIV therapy. The good news: after the treatments, the viral load of the patients rose considerably in the short term - for the researchers a sign that HIV had been released from the reservoirs and thus rendered harmless. A small breakthrough. The bad news: even after this procedure, there were still HI viruses in dormant cells.
The problem is the following: There are many different types of cells that form HIV reservoirs. Not all the cells that need to be activated are even known yet.
Are "combined remedies" coming?
Schmeltz Søgaard concludes that the tested substance could become a building block of the cure, but will not be sufficient on its own. In his opinion, the cure may only be possible through a combination of different approaches. The principle is well known to the HIV community: after combination therapies and "combined prevention", these would then be the "combined cures".
After the sensations (Berlin patient, Mississippi baby), the labours of the plain now follow. This study shows that progress is being made. The fact remains: the cure could be within reach in the foreseeable future. It's just that the sweetest fruits are hanging pretty high.
