A single HIV treatment suppresses the virus 10,000-fold for months, an animal study shows

Researchers have developed an experimental HIV treatment that maintains itself in the body, with the aim of keeping the viral load under long-term control after just a single dose.

So far, the new treatment has been tested on monkeys, not on humans. But in the monkeys, it dramatically suppressed HIV for at least seven months. If the drug is one day approved for humans, its protection could last for years, said Adrian Wildfirea virologist and drug developer who was not involved in the research.

“I suspect you will experience some loss of function [of the treatment] after five to seven years,” Wildfire told Live Science. That represents a big leap from current treatment options.

About 40 million people worldwide live with HIV. only about three quarters of them are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy, the standard treatment. A smaller percentage is virally suppressedwhich means that the amount of HIV in their body has dropped to extremely low levels.

Related: We could end the AIDS epidemic in less than a decade. Here's how:

Some people have difficulty getting an HIV diagnosis and a prescription for treatment; others have trouble affording medication, tolerating its side effects, or remembering to daily pills require many treatment regimens to keep the virus at bay. Some existing Long-term recordings The illness lasts for weeks or months, but usually suppression must be achieved with tablets before the injections can be given.

The virus further complicates the situation develops very quicklywhich means it can become resistant to treatments, especially if Cans are forgottenWithout treatment, HIV rapidly destroys an important class of immune cells in the body, leaving the person vulnerable to cancer and infectious diseases. At this stage, the infection has progressed to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

To overcome some of the problems of existing antiretroviral drugs, a group of researchers has developed a new treatment: a genetically modified form of the virus that can displace HIV in the body.

In a study published August 9 in the journal ScienceThe researchers used genetic techniques to create a version of HIV called a therapeutic interference particle (TIP). This virus-like particle is designed not to harm its host, but still replicates quickly. The idea is that when injected into an HIV-infected person, the harmless TIP takes over, occupying and protecting cells that the virus would otherwise destroy.

To test this theory, the researchers developed a version of their TIP that resembled the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), an HIV-like pathogen that infects monkeys. They injected it into six rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). After 24 hours, they infected the macaques with an aggressive virus that had characteristics of both SIV and HIV and monitored the level of infection for about seven months.

They found that the macaques that received TIPs had 10,000 times less virus than four infected monkeys that had not received the vaccine. The monkeys vaccinated with TIPs also showed stronger immune responses and no signs of inflammationThe untreated monkeys quickly developed severe illnesses.

Related: In people taking HIV medication, the likelihood of virus spread through sex is “virtually zero” once levels are low

This 2002 photo shows various antiretroviral pills for HIV. Today, a typical treatment includes three drugs from at least two different HIV drug classes. (Image credit: Joe Raedle via Getty Images)

As expected, TIPs continued to proliferate in the macaques' bodies throughout the study period, suggesting that long-term treatment may be possible.

“These primate studies demonstrate the promise of a single-dose TIP intervention and are a strong predictor of efficacy in human trials,” said the lead study author. Leo WeinbergerProfessor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, said in a opinion.

The researchers also used their TIPs on laboratory mice with human immune cells and on blood cells from HIV-infected people. In both cases, the TIPs defeated HIV and suppressed the infection.

“They significantly reduce viral replication, which could allow people to live with fewer symptoms because far fewer of their T cells are destroyed,” Wildfire told Live Science. However, he doesn't think the treatment will last indefinitely.

Because of their similarity to unmodified viruses, TIPs stimulate various immune cells in the body, which can eventually become exhausted. This opens the door for more TIPs and HIV to enter cells – but since HIV is constantly evolving, this exhaustion could theoretically allow HIV to gain a foothold over TIPs.

“So what's the outlook for this? Relatively positive in the short term, but I think more work is needed in the long term,” Wildfire said.

The researchers have not yet tested whether this new treatment can replace antiretroviral drugs in people already living with well-controlled HIV. Their next step is to test this idea in macaque monkeys, after which they hope to begin clinical trials in humans. The ultimate goal is to offer new options for HIV treatment so that people do not have to take medication continuously for the rest of their lives.

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A single HIV treatment suppresses the virus 10,000-fold for months, an animal study shows

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