HIV cure research: NIH scientists create 2-headed protein to deplete HIV reservoir
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - 03:20
in Health & Medicine
This is an illustration of how the engineered protein facilitates destruction of latently HIV-infected immune cells. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created a protein that awakens resting immune cells infected with HIV and facilitates their destruction in laboratory studies. The protein potentially could contribute to a cure for HIV infection by helping deplete the reservoir of long-lived, latently HIV-infected cells that can start making the virus when a person stops taking anti-HIV drugs. Further studies in animals and people are needed to determine the viability of this approach.