Until then, no one knew where the AIDS virus was “hiding” when it was being fought by anti-HIV treatments. Belgian researchers have just discovered it. A world first.
A major advance in AIDS research, and perhaps a first step towards curing the disease. For the very first time, Belgian researchers from theGhent University announce that they have succeeded in locating the “viral reservoir” of the disease. The “viral reservoir” is the organism in which the virus lives, grows and thanks to which it travels. This is how the virus can infect other organisms.
The virus does not disappear completely
Today AIDS is considered more of a chronic disease than a fatal disease. “The medication against HIV has evolved enormously in recent years, which allows patients who very regularly take one tablet a day to keep the virus under control throughout their life”, detail the members of the University of Ghent in a statement.
Thanks to the treatment, patients can no longer infect other people. “But there is still, however, a very small amount of virus present in the body – called the viral reservoir – which causes the virus to reappear massively if treatment is stopped.” This is why today, a patient is not really cured of AIDS.
HIV is not in just one organ
To make the disease disappear, it would therefore be necessary to eliminate this virus residue. The researchers of the study analyzed the virus in eleven volunteers who stopped their treatment for a short period. The virus therefore reappeared and they were able to locate it.
“HIV hides in specific immune cells in the body and thus stays under the radar. When the patient stops taking HIV inhibitors, the virus can re-emerge from these cells and cause a spike in viral load.” viral rebound”). Our study has shown that, contrary to what we thought so far, immune cells that divide a lot are co-responsible for this viral reservoir. We show that the ‘viral rebound’ does not come from a single specific organ or cell type, but can come from different cell types and parts of the body (such as blood, lymph nodes, and intestinal tissue).”
This scientific discovery paves the way for new research. They may one day lead to a cure for AIDS.
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