Small study hints that revving up immune cells might help fight HIV
Summary
Scientists are testing a cancer treatment called CAR-T cell therapy to fight HIV by boosting patients’ own immune cells. In a small study, two people who stopped HIV medicines after receiving the therapy kept the virus at very low levels for almost one and two years without serious side effects. More research is needed to see if this therapy can provide a long-lasting cure for HIV.Key Facts
- CAR-T cell therapy is a method where immune cells (T cells) are taken from a patient, changed in a lab, and put back to fight disease.
- This therapy is already used for some cancers and now is being tested for HIV treatment.
- In the study, two patients had their HIV almost completely controlled for nearly 1 and 2 years without daily medicines.
- The therapy includes making immune cells better at finding and killing HIV and protecting them from infection by the virus.
- Patients receiving the treatment briefly stopped their usual HIV medicines to test the new therapy’s effect.
- Some patients received a small dose of chemotherapy before the therapy to help the new cells grow.
- The study was led by Dr. Steven Deeks at the University of California, San Francisco.
- HIV currently affects about 40 million people worldwide, and current medicines work only if taken continuously.
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