Methods to kill HIV-infected cells with radioactive antibodies

For decades, researchers have wondered if there is any way to eliminate HIV-infected cells from the patient's body. Recently, as a result of the November 6 issue of Plos Medicine, scientists studying from the US and Germany have attached radioactivity to antibodies capable of tracing HIV-infected cells to destroy it. these cells.

Scientists may have found new ways to fight HIV (Photo: sinhhocvietnam)

According to Harris Goldstein, head of research at Albert Einstein University University, this new method could kill HIV-infected cells as soon as the virus first begins to infect the body, which prevents the virus from creating. Should a long-term damage in the body. This approach can be used in conjunction with the prevailing HART therapy. However, this method may also be appropriate for people who have been infected with the virus for some time by combining medications that are still in a different testing phase. These therapies will remove the invisibility layer of the HIV virus, arrest and facilitate the immune system to completely remove HIV from the body. " This is not a complete therapy for HIV. It points out how to locate and remove HIV-infected cells ," Goldstein said.

Goldstein and colleagues tested their method on cultured cells and in mice. First, they designed their weapons by attaching radioactive substances to antibodies that can recognize specific proteins that are only present on the surface of HIV-infected cells. In cell culture experiments, this antibody kills most HIV-infected cells.

Researchers then tested radioactive antibodies on genetically altered mice. This group of mice carrying human immune cells is often the preferred target of HIV. Mice are infected with HIV and then inject radioactive antibodies into them. The team found that antibodies eliminated up to 99% of HIV-infected cells in mice, but the radiation dose used to eliminate the virus is now higher than the level allowed for human use.

Currently, the group is trying to find a company that will conduct their method at a clinical trial level. In fact, some similar ideas have been tried before: for example, attaching a toxin to the antibody will kill the HIV-infected cell. This plan was not successful. However, the use of radioactive antibodies has been used successfully for cancer treatment, so researchers hope this approach will also be effective for AIDS.

" One advantage of this study is that it has successfully applied a radiation therapy to cancer in the case of HIV-infected patients. And this could bring a lot of promise. " David Margolis , an HIV specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who is not related to the author group, said.

The main problem is whether this method is suitable for humans, and whether it causes side effects. The side effect here means that the radioactive substance will inadvertently destroy even non-HIV-infected cells. The scientists who carried out the study confirmed that they did not detect any evidence of toxicity in mice, by counting platelet counts in rat blood. However, only clinical trials determine exactly whether this therapy is really safe for people.

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Hien