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New HIV breakthrough
HIV development
Research leads to new hope for HIV sufferers
"The ITK protein is within the body itself, so there is no resistance to drugs"
Scientists studying the HIV virus have discovered a possible new way of slowing the spread of the HIV infection. The new treatment is also thought to prevent the possibility of the drug resistance that is one of the main disadvantages with current treatments.
The drugs used at the moment target the proteins in the HIV virus. However even though the virus is weakened, over time an immunity will develop within the virus that will eventually render the drugs useless. This means that sufferers have to use a cocktail of different drugs, and constantly change their drugs to avoid resistance.
However the new HIV treatments are different. The new drugs target the human protein ITK, not the HIV virus. By inactivating the protein within the body, the virus’s spread is slowed, and it is therefore much less likely to affect the human immune system.
When the human body is infected with HIV, the virus uses the T cells to spread through the immune system. The ITK protein activates the T cells. The new drug inactivates ITK which means that the virus has less chance to reach the immune system, and therefore lessen the chance of AIDS developing.
Because the ITK protein is within the body itself, and not an alien virus like HIV, it is impervious to the virus’s mutations, so there is no resistance to drugs.
“Suppression of the ITK protein cause many of the pathways that HIV uses to be less active, thereby inhibition or slowing HIV replication”, said Dr Pamela Schwartzberg, of Boston University.
The new treatments were tested on mice, and scientists found that mice without ITK were still able to fight off other viruses, as well as slowing the spread of HIV.
The treatments are thought to be cheaper than the current anti-retroviral drugs and this means that poorer countries that can’t afford treatments, and don’t have access to the current drugs, will be able to find treatment.
However, according to the leading British HIV Aids charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, these breakthrough treatments may not be available for another 20 years.
