Is this the treatment to conquer the deadly virus?
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Human trials have been initiated for a new HIV treatment that uses cloned human antibodies to combat the onset of the virus.
The antibodies are harvested from rare HIV-positive patients whose immune systems have been shown to attack multiple strains of the disease.
The international team consisting of researchers from Rockefeller University in New York and the University of Cologne in Germany cloned these antibodies and infused them into the blood of other HIV positive patients, and a report in the journal “Nature” indicates there may be hope for bolstering treatments in the future.
“Our data establish that passive infusion of single broadly neutralizing antibodies can have profound effects on HIV viraemia in humans,” stated the report, according to BBC News.
Four different doses of the antibody, called 3BNC117, were trialed on 29 people. The highest dosage, given to eight of the participants, cut the amount of virus in their blood by between eight and a staggering 250 times over a period of 28 days, disclosed Australian news outlet ABC.
HIV has the ability to rapidly mutate and get ahead of most treatments, making a blanket cure difficult to find. However, the new therapy has the potential to attack the virus even when it has mutated beyond the reach of existing treatments, opening a whole new avenue for the treatment and mitigation of the virus.
BBC News reported the new antibody therapy was unable to keep up with the virus’ mutations in some patients, which has led to recommends of using the treatment alongside current drugs or in conjunction with other antibodies.
Researchers are now beginning to explore whether the infusion could block people from getting the disease in the first place.
In an interview with the BBC, Professor Michel Nussenzweig of Rockefeller University cautioned that studies into the antibody are still burgeoning.
“We have shown the approach is safe and effective. What this trial is telling us is that it is now time to look at the possibilities — from prevention and treatment to even cure.”