Science: Experimental TIP injection reduces HIV levels in primates
Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the University of California, San Francisco have found that an experimental injection can significantly reduce HIV levels in non-human primates. The study results published in the journal Science.
Therapeutic interfering particles (TIPs), which are artificially created segments of the HIV virus, are injected into the body. These particles do not cause disease, but they replicate faster than HIV itself, allowing them to suppress the virus in infected organisms.
In the experiment, the researchers injected nonhuman primates with TIP 10 and then exposed them to the simian form of HIV. The animals were then monitored for 30 weeks, with blood and lymph node tissue regularly analyzed to determine levels of the virus.
The results showed that TIP reduced HIV levels by 1,000-fold in five of the six infected animals. In one of the primates, the virus levels were so low that they were undetectable. These results are well above what is needed to slow the progression to AIDS (the terminal stage of infection) in people with HIV.
In addition, there was no evidence of viral recombination, where two different viral strains simultaneously infect a single cell and exchange genetic material, creating a hybrid with parts of both strains. This indicates that TIP does not complicate the course of HIV infection.
The scientists plan to continue the study to evaluate the effectiveness of a single injection of TIP after infection has developed and the ability to control the virus after stopping antiretroviral therapy. If TIP proves effective in human clinical trials, it could be a breakthrough in HIV treatment, reducing the need for daily medications.
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