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Working with about 20 HIV patients
in Victoria, Australian researchers are launching an effort to eradicate the
virus by reactivating it in the cells where it lies dormant, beyond the reach
of current drug treatments. In theory, the reawakened virus would be destroyed
by killing the cell it inhabits, said Professor Sharon Lewin, director of the
Infectious Diseases Unit at the Alfred Hospital.
“We know from the first 10 patients
that the treatment was safe and relatively well tolerated and didn’t cause any
harm to people,” Lewin said. “Now we are doing more detailed studies to see
whether we have woken up the virus.”
The drug under investigation,
Vorinostat, is already licensed to treat cancer. It belongs to a drug class
called histone deacetylase inhibitors. Other partners in the research are
Monash University and the Burnet Institute.
The huge economic costs of keeping
HIV patients on antiretroviral drugs for life are driving the push for an AIDS
cure, Lewin said. Unlike other more expensive approaches under investigation,
Lewin’s therapy involves simply taking a pill, potentially making it an
affordable option in the developing nations hit hardest by AIDS.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
