A two-dose schedule could make HIV vaccines more effective
One major reason why it has been difficult to develop an effective HIV vaccine is that the virus mutates very rapidly, allowing it to evade the antibody response generated by vaccines. Several years ago, MIT researchers showed that administering a series of escalating doses of an HIV vaccine over a two-week period could help overcome […]
Targeted immune intervention and stopping ART in model of SIV infection leads to control of viral replication and reservoirs
Emory researchers are the first to show unprecedented control of SIV replication and decay of viral reservoirs by combining a stringent model of infection with the interruption of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The success of this immune-based approach follows the research team’s identification of the mechanisms of action for PD1 and IL-10, molecules known to regulate […]
An antidiabetic helps the immune system recognize reservoirs of HIV
Researchers at Université de Montréal’s affiliated hospital research centre, the CRCHUM, say the discovery could help lessen and even eliminate viral loads in people undergoing antiretroviral therapy. Metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, could help deplete the viral reservoir and eliminate it entirely in people living with HIV who receive antiretroviral therapy, […]
Potential link between DNA markers and aging process
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the epigenetics company TruDiagnostic have uncovered DNA markers associated with retroelements, remnants of ancient viral genetic material, in our genes that act as highly accurate epigenetic clocks predicting chronological age. The results support the idea that certain retroelements in the human genome may be involved in aging. Retroelements have […]
New drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain
An experimental drug originally developed to treat cancer may help clear HIV from infected cells in the brain, according to a new Tulane University study. For the first time, researchers at Tulane National Primate Research Center found that a cancer drug significantly reduced levels of SIV, the nonhuman primate equivalent of HIV, in the brain […]
Proof-of-concept study to find functional cure for HIV
Researchers in George Mason University’s Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) and Tulane National Primate Research Center conducted a breakthrough proof-of-concept study in Nature‘s Gene Therapy that found an HIV-like virus particle that could cease the need for lifelong medications. Scientists have made great strides in the treatment of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) over the […]
Long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV prevention is safe in pregnancy, study finds
Long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) was safe and well tolerated as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) before and during pregnancy in the follow-up phase of a global study among cisgender women. The analysis of outcomes from more than 300 pregnancies and infants will be presented at the 2024 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany. “Cisgender […]
Exposing dengue’s invasion strategies | ScienceDaily
Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease. Now, research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research has uncovered surprising strategies for how dengue and hundreds of other […]
B cell biohack: Immune cells to churn out custom antibodies
USC scientists have discovered a way to turn the body’s B cells into tiny surveillance machines and antibody factories that can pump out specially designed antibodies to destroy cancer cells or HIV, two of medicine’s most formidable foes. The research, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, describes a technique for editing the genes of immune […]
Study shows promise for a universal influenza vaccine
New research led by Oregon Health & Science University reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine — a so-called “one and done” vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus. The study, published today in the journal Nature Communications, tested an OHSU-developed vaccine platform against the virus considered most likely to […]
