Created immune cells that can protect the body from HIV
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Researchers from the University of Stanford (USA) have discovered a previously unknown type of gene therapy, which can later protect the human body from the AIDS virus. Employees of the University assure that with the help of treatment according to this technique immune cells will be able to make almost invulnerable. In the long run, if the results of the study are finally confirmed, AIDS and the associated infectious diseases will not be deadly to humans, as it is today.
Information about a possible new kind of gene therapy appeared in the course of detailed studies of genes in people infected with HIV. Physicians have identified several genes that make a person more resistant to infectious diseases, including HIV. In the process of studying the mutations of these genes, scientists isolated several DNA fragments that, during mutation, can protect the body from infected cells.
The idea of the new method is that a retrovirus will be artificially introduced into several fragments of human DNA (retrovirus is a virus containing RNA, the most famous representative in medicine is HIV ). Retrovirus cells, penetrating the body's immune cells, are able to replace some vulnerable genes with their more resistant copies. In addition, retroviral cells contain genes that can accumulate a protein that hinders the development of HIV cells.
Studies show that replacing several genes completely and adding new ones make the T-lymphocytes (white blood cells) vulnerable to the immune virus several times more resistant. Accordingly, the new genetic method protects the body from different types of the virus, not only 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 can slow the destruction of immunity by the virus.
At the moment, researchers can not guarantee 100% safety of the gene method. There is a theoretical possibility of mutation of the retrovirus in cells that can cause cancer. Biologists say that in order to avoid the occurrence of unforeseen side effects, they need a minimum of several years for further research and experiments with HIV-infected cells. If the experiment is successful, in which scientists are currently assured at 80%, the following experiments will be conducted on rodents and larger animals. According to analysts' forecasts, after 5-7 years clinical trials of a new method of the gene industry on real HIV-infected patients will be possible. Thus, after 10 years, physicians will be able to significantly reduce the number of deaths affected by the AIDS virus, the gene method will stop the destruction of immunity and increase the ability of the human body to fight against foreign viruses.
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