Drugs/Therapy

HIV Cure: Novel Drug Combination Possible Solution

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Feb 02, 2017 07:20 AM EST

The possibilities of eliminating HIV though a combination of two AIDS treatment is being explored by a group of Scientist and is believed to be on the brink of a scientific breakthrough. The Scientists of the Case Western Reserve University's Medical School are working into pairing never-before combined AIDS treatments in a human clinical trial.

Daily Mail UK reports that the medical school of the university has already been granted $2.5 million to proceed with their attempt to combine two AIDS treatmentS and use this drug to treat and completely eradicate HIV. The properties of the drugs containing natural protein are said to kill the disease in laboratory conditions and have been separately being used in suppressing HIV for years.

Per statistics, in the United States alone, there is roughly 30 percent in the 1.2 million population of HIV patients who has already reached an undetectable viral load. This simply means that the virus has been suppressed to the point wherein it is not capable of being transferred anymore.

Meanwhile, WN reveals that when IL-2 is administered solely to the body, certain monoclonal antibodies are reduced but does not completely eliminate the presence of HIV in the body. The study aims to administer both drugs, monoclonal antibodies and IL-2, to possibly completely eradicate the AIDs virus in the body. The IL-2 has been approved by the FDA for treating several kinds of cancers.

IL-2 on the other hand activates cancer cells while activating HIV from latency. The study plans to include 16 patients and will begin testing by the second half of 2017. It will be a 64-week program and samples will be treated per group, one receiving the IL-2 while the others the IL-2 and a monoclonal antibody.

Participants in the study will be monitored for safety and tolerance, with the aim of combining treatments that can reduce HIV reservoirs in the cells infected with HIV but are not actively producing HIV. They are also conducting discussions together with the Vaccine Research Center of the NHI to further determine which among the monoclonal antibody available in the Center is the best one to use to prevent or possibly be the cure for HIV. 

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