In an attempt to fight fire with fire, the researchers designed a virus that usually infects cattle to attack the AIDS virus in the man. "It really is about to make a breakthrough," says Nava Sarver, who oversees the development of new treatments against AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
virologist University Yale John Rose and his colleagues describe in cell tomorrow how they built a potential treatment of HIV by modifying the virus vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), farmers hate because it causes infection mouth in cattle that prevents them from eating. As the tube test experiences Yale researchers show their new-fangled VSV selectively targets and destroys human cells infected with HIV. "It's a very interesting way to operate a virus for peaceful purposes, "said University of Pennsylvania Robert Doms, whose laboratory has elucidated how HIV infects cells." He is a very intelligent approach. "
The work takes advantage of recent discoveries by Doms and the other on a handshake in two parts between HIV and the cells it infects. After HIV binds to the CD4 receptor on a white blood cell, it must also bind to another molecule present on the surface of the cell known as a chemokine receptor. Once these handshakes are complete, HIV gains entry. Shortly after, pieces of viruses make their way to the outer covering of the cell where they stick out of the cell like a flag of victory.
Rose and his colleagues reasoned that if they could bite into VSV genes encoding CD4 and a chemokine receptor promoted HIV, CXCR4, the virus would home in on cells that have these HIV flags sticking out of them. The HIV proteins on the surface of the infected cell, they assumed, would bind to CD4 and CXCR4 receptors VSV. When the researchers added their VSV designed for a culture containing cells infected with HIV, they found that it was indeed only target infected cells, killing them quickly. "VSV is so fast," said Rose, noting that it can kill cells much more quickly as possible HIV.
One potential disadvantage of this approach is the possibility that the modified VSV will kill cells who are not infected with HIV. Rose believes that will not happen because he has stripped VSV its own surface protein, which is what allows it to infect a wide range of cells. "Without his normal peeling it can not infect anything, "Rose said. But only animal tests will answer that question, warns NIAID Director Anthony Fauci. Although Fauci praise for the novelty of the concept, he also fears that it could take impractically infusions with high dose of VSV modified to have an impact on levels of HIV from one person.
Yet Sarver, Fauci and others are worried about Rose and his colleagues put their viral guided missile stricter tests test-tube and animal. Sarver NIAID suggest that if researchers can indeed share different receptors in this "gutted" VSV, it can enable precision targeting that could be used in all kinds of vaccines for gene therapy on cancer treatments. "We're not there yet," said Sarver, "but the potential applications are enormous."
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