Breakthroughs in HIV research in 2016

Every year, scientists come a little closer to curing this disease. Here's what studies tell us about HIV in 2016.

Remove HIV from human DNA

Genetic modification is at the forefront of many medical advances, including in HIV research. In a study published in March, scientists from Temple University succeeded in using a CRISPR / Cas9 gene editing technique to modify and eliminate the HIV virus from DNA in the cells. human cells.

Moreover, unlike previous attempts to remove HIV from human DNA, this study shows that modified cells are not susceptible to re-infection. This finding demonstrates the effectiveness of genetic modification tools for HIV, and suggests that these tools may even lead to some cure.

About 36.9 million people worldwide are infected with HIV.

The first anti-virus vaccine was tested in South Africa

While it's important to cure HIV, finding a vaccine to protect against viruses is also important. In July, testing of what might be the first HIV vaccine began in South Africa, the region with the highest HIV infection rate in the world. The test, called HVTN 702 , will take place over three years in South Africa, with 5,400 people on four locations will receive experimental drugs.

The vaccine aims to overcome a previous effort on vaccines in 2009 that unfortunately is only 31% effective in preventing the disease. However, researchers believe that recipe improvements will make the vaccine more effective.

Further improve antiviral drugs

In a study published in August, scientists at the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Medical Research Council (MRC) in Cambridge and University College London discovered an essential feature of HIV. The virus is used to infect cells while avoiding the detection of the immune system, which may allow them to develop more effective medication to control the virus.

Drugs currently used to treat HIV are called antiretroviral therapy (ARV) , which keeps HIV levels in the body low and allows the immune system to maintain strength.