The problem of pre-existing mutations
In a step that may lead to more-effective HIV treatments, Harvard scientists have found that, in a small number of HIV patients, pre-existing mutations in the virus can cause it to develop resistance to the drugs used to slow the progression of the disease. The finding is important because, although researchers have long known that HIV can develop resistance to some drugs, it wasn’t understood whether the virus relied on pre-existing mutations to develop the resistance, or if it has to wait for those mutations to occur. By shedding new light on how resistance evolves, the study, reported in the online journal PLoS Computational Biology on June 7, opens the door to the development of more-effective treatments. “In order to prevent the evolution of resistance, we need to know where the resistance mutations are coming from. It was exciting to realize data from clinical trials could help us solve this puzzle,” visiting...