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New process works in mice, but will it work in humans?
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Stem cells could be engineered to kill HIV
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have revealed that human stem cells could be used to kill HIV-infected cells.
The results of their study, published in the online scientific journal Plos ONE, show that stem cells could be engineered into the equivalent of a genetic vaccine usable against a range of chronic viral diseases, including HIV.
Their process took CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes, the 'killer' T cells that help fight infection, which are present in the human body but in insufficient quantities to kill the virus completely, from an HIV-positive person.
After indentifying the molecule present in the T cells which allows them to fight cells infected with HIV, it was then cloned and placed in genetically-engineered stem cells, which were then put into the bodies of mice.
The researchers discovered that the cells developed into mature, HIV-specific CD8 cells which were able to target cells infected with the HIV virus.
The researchers said that the next step would be to find out if the process worked in humans, but were already aware that people undergoing the treatment would have to be matched to the HIV-specific T cell receptors, as is the case with organ transplants.
Lead investigator Scott Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said: "We have demonstrated in this proof-of-principle study that this type of approach can be used to engineer the human immune system, particularly the T cell response, to specifically target HIV-infected cells.
"These studies lay the foundation for further therapeutic development that involves restoring damaged or defective immune responses toward a variety of viruses that cause chronic disease, or even different types of tumors."
