From my brother:
Scientists Claim Discovery Of HIV Immune System Booster
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: February 28, 2005 9:08 pm. ET
(Sydney, Australia) Scientists in Australia say they have discovered a way to boost the body's immune system to fight HIV.
The research was done at the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University's John Curtin School of Medical Research. The results appear in the March issue of the Journal of Virology.
The scientists said Monday that the discovery was made while they were developing a test to see how well certain animals' immune system's could fight HIV.
The team extracted blood from laboratory animals and coated the cells with HIV peptide markers, a substance which tells the body's immune system that a cell is infected by the virus.
When the scientists injected the coated blood back into the animals to create the illusion the cells were infected by HIV, it triggered a dramatic immune response, said Stephen Kent, of the University of Melbourne.
Kent said that they have successfully tested the procedure on mice and monkeys. He said the technique was also found to work in cases of drug-resistant forms of disease.
Kent said they hoped to begin human trials within two years.
He said that the treatment would involve injecting patients with their own blood cells after they had been coated with the peptides found on the surface of HIV-infected cells.
The injections would then dramatically boost the patient's immune system against the virus, Kent said.
Kent also said that the new therapy had also shown promise as a treatment for other chronic infections like Hepatitis C.
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: February 28, 2005 9:08 pm. ET
(Sydney, Australia) Scientists in Australia say they have discovered a way to boost the body's immune system to fight HIV.
The research was done at the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University's John Curtin School of Medical Research. The results appear in the March issue of the Journal of Virology.
The scientists said Monday that the discovery was made while they were developing a test to see how well certain animals' immune system's could fight HIV.
The team extracted blood from laboratory animals and coated the cells with HIV peptide markers, a substance which tells the body's immune system that a cell is infected by the virus.
When the scientists injected the coated blood back into the animals to create the illusion the cells were infected by HIV, it triggered a dramatic immune response, said Stephen Kent, of the University of Melbourne.
Kent said that they have successfully tested the procedure on mice and monkeys. He said the technique was also found to work in cases of drug-resistant forms of disease.
Kent said they hoped to begin human trials within two years.
He said that the treatment would involve injecting patients with their own blood cells after they had been coated with the peptides found on the surface of HIV-infected cells.
The injections would then dramatically boost the patient's immune system against the virus, Kent said.
Kent also said that the new therapy had also shown promise as a treatment for other chronic infections like Hepatitis C.