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Immune cells have been created that can protect the body from HIV
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Researchers from Stanford University (USA) have discovered a previously unknown type of gene therapy that will eventually be able to protect the human body from the AIDS virus. The university staff assures that with the help of this method of treatment, immune cells will be made virtually invulnerable. In the future, if the results of the study are finally confirmed, AIDS and the infectious diseases that accompany it will not be as deadly for humans as they are today.
Information about a possible new type of gene therapy emerged during detailed studies of genes in people infected with HIV. Doctors have identified several genes that make a person more resistant to infectious diseases, including HIV. In the process of studying mutations of these genes, scientists have isolated several DNA fragments that, during mutation, can protect the body from infected cells.
The idea behind the new method is that a retrovirus (a retrovirus is a virus containing RNA. The most well-known representative in medicine is HIV ) will be artificially introduced into several fragments of human DNA. Retrovirus cells, penetrating the body's immune cells, are capable of replacing some vulnerable genes with their more stable copies. In addition, retrovirus cells contain genes that can accumulate a protein that prevents the development of HIV cells.
Research shows that replacing several genes completely and adding new ones makes T-lymphocytes (white blood cells) vulnerable to the immune virus several times more resistant. Accordingly, the new genetic method protects the body from various types of the virus, not just HIV.
It is worth noting that the appearance of new, "protected" T-lymphocytes in the blood does not destroy the immunodeficiency virus and is not able to completely rid the body of the AIDS virus. On the other hand, these cells can prevent the rapid destruction of the immune system, which in 95% of cases occurs after infection with the AIDS virus. Successfully replaced T-cells will be able to slow down the destruction of immunity by the virus.
At the moment, researchers cannot guarantee the 100% safety of the gene method. There is a theoretical possibility of retrovirus mutation into cells capable of causing cancer. Biologists claim that in order to avoid unexpected side effects, they need at least several years for further research and experiments with HIV-infected cells. If the experiment is successful, which scientists are currently 80% sure of, the next experiments will be conducted on rodents and larger animals. According to analysts, in 5-7 years, clinical trials of the new gene industry method on real HIV-infected patients will be possible. Thus, in 10 years, doctors will be able to significantly reduce the number of terminally ill patients infected with the AIDS virus, the gene method will allow to stop the destruction of immunity and increase the ability of the human body to fight foreign viruses.
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