The ghent researchers are a step closer to a cure to aids

Researchers at the university hospital of Ghent, an important step has been taken to make HIV and aids the HIV-virus in the long term, to be able to turn off, and aids is definitely heal.

The deadly virus, and today it is under control, thanks to an expensive aidsremmers, but the patients will relapse once they stop taking the medication. The hiding-place of the restvirus to discover the hope of the scientists, the virus in the long term to permanently turn it off.

finally, anyone Who is infected with the HIV virus, may be due to the recent aidsremmers to enjoy a relatively normal life, however, there is still a restvirus, or “viral reservoir” is present in the body. That restvirus is not located in a specific place or institution. “HIV is hiding in a specific immune cells in the body, so that they can remain ” under the radar”, say the researchers, dr. Marie-Angelique Shearer, and professor dr Linos Vandekerckhove. The scientific breakthrough was one day in Ghent is presented.

“If a patient stops aidsremmers the virus from these cells to come back and make an explosion of the virus, the virus will rebound.” The first in the world to further research on HIV is forward. “Contrary to what is so far thought to have our research has shown that the immune cells that are a lot of parts are responsible for the viral reservoir. We show that the viral rebound could be coming from a variety of cell types, and the parts of the body, such as blood, lymph, and darmweefsel.”

participated In the survey voluntarily, and eleven HIV-infected part, and that each and every one of intense research and have had to endure. In a first phase, in the patient samples decreased. In a subsequent step, the treatment of the patients and short breaks. The patients were closely followed-up.

At the time that the virus was back, it was the virus that did come back are compared to the virus from the samples from the different cells and parts of the body. For example, to identify which of the restvirus himself had hidden.

Today, more than 37 million people are infected with the HIV virus, and about the same number of people in the eu fail, ever since the virus was first reported in 1981.