The Journey Towards an HIV Cure Has Already Started

The time between now and the day when a cure for HIV is found is rapidly decreasing. What didn't seem possible a generation ago is now within striking distance. Scientists have announced that for the first time in the 30-year history of battling HIV and AIDS, there is a clear path leading to a cure for the disease. Over 25 million people worldwide have died due to AIDS-related diseases, and this is welcome news for the millions of people around the world who are currently living with the disease.

For most people with access to medication, advancements in technology have transformed HIV into a chronic, lifelong disease that must be managed primarily through antiretroviral therapy (ART). It is a costly, daily procedure, but it has been very effective at suppressing the virus. We have reached the point where ART can't be made any more effective than it is right now; a plateau has been reached. So, now the focus of HIV research has turned toward finding a cure. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently spent $14 million on finding different methods to suppress HIV or permanently keep it at bay.

NIAID funding has also been distributed to research universities and laboratories who are investigating whether gene therapy techniques can be used to make cells genetically resistant to HIV. A very rare genetic mutation that only a miniscule percentage of the world's population possesses does just that-makes the person with the mutation resistant to HIV infection. This important research could form the basis for a possible HIV cure. The major stumbling block is the last hiding place for HIV within the body-the HIV reservoir. These reservoirs are made up of dormant, HIV-infected cells. While current ART techniques have been effective at preventing HIV infection through the bloodstream, cell-to-cell infection is still possible within these reservoirs. A different plan of attack is needed to deal with this problem.

The term of "cure" is being stretched out a bit. Researchers are exploring "cure" scenarios. For example, HIV can still be detected within the body, but the viral load is such that the virus is not circulating. The infected person never progresses to full blown AIDS, nor does the HIV-infected person have the ability to pass the virus onto others. In effect, the virus within the body has become sterile and harmless. This is a promising scenario, and it's one that medical researchers, physicians, and scientists will gladly take. At this point, it's not a matter of if an HIV cure will be found, but when.

Media Contact:
Alain Lafeuillade, MD
AVPS
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