The advancement of science is
changing the way we look at the world. The impossible has now become the
everyday routine, and the limitations we once had on humanity are diminishing.
Currently there is no cure for AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and
the battle against HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is slow and costly. However,
researchers have found a way that may fight HIV and even eliminate the virus
entirely.
HIV targets the immune system by
lowering the T cells (Killer T cells) in the body which protect against
infection and disease. With a weakened immune system, HIV eventually leads to
AIDS. Though there is treatment for HIV, there is no cure and a person with HIV
will have it for life.
The article, Genetically Modified T Cells Might Help Fight HIV, was about a group of scientists
that changed the way T cells were made in the body to fight against HIV. A
similar technique was used against cancer in which scientists modified T cells
to produce surface molecules (CARs) which bind onto and kill tumor cells.
However, these scientists genetically engineered
stem cells that produce T cells with specific CARs that bind to and attack the
AIDS-causing virus and prevents HIV from infecting the cells.
The results from the testing in the labs showed that
the HIV infection could not enter the T Cells and that the cells infected with
HIV were destroyed. Two monkeys were also used as test subjects and the same
results applied. These tests have been ongoing for two years, and the
scientists believe that this could be a long-term treatment against HIV and
could possibly even destroy the virus entirely. They hope for a clinical trial
in the future.
A similar experiment was done in the 90’s in which
researchers modified the T cells to fight off HIV. This was unsuccessful and
has been discussed that the HIV infection killed the T cells before they were
killed. With the stem cells being modified, this would lead to a continual
supply of T cells to fight against HIV.
Though the modifying of stem cells to produce T cells
that fight against HIV didn’t kill the virus directly, it targeted certain areas
in the body that HIV is most prominent and killed the cells that were infected.
Along with gene therapy for cancer,
cost is a major issue. Gene therapy for cancer is priced around $500,000 and if
the HIV treatment is anything close to that, it will be a major barrier. Most
of the HIV/AIDS cases are in poorer countries who can’t afford the current HIV
infection treatment.
I found this article interesting
because it demonstrated the importance of research and how the advancement in
science can lead to a better life. That even though we have so much knowledge
and understanding of the world, there is still a lot that we don’t know. I
chose to do this blog post on this article because I am considering the pursuit
of research in the medical field, this article added to my desire because it
showed that the possibilities we have truly are endless if we keep working and
trying to better understand the world. This is relevant to our society because
we are constantly trying to better improve the quality of life and this is a
huge breakthrough for something we have labeled as incurable.
Joshua Zushi
Hey Josh!
ReplyDeleteI loved your topic and thought it was super interesting on so many levels. The first being that the word research gets thrown around a lot and many people always think about finding new things or a cure for cancer. THis highlighted trial and error and reformulating and how long research takes, it wlso shows the importance of it and how necessary it is to continue to press through research. "Incurable" can be daunting but one day there will be a cure and it will help many and this seems like with the right testing and factors that it could be a great option!
-Brooke Legeman
A few years ago, a friend told me that his brother, a patent attorney for a prominent pharmaceutical company, claimed his employer had a cure for AIDS, but it was more profitable to address the symptoms than to eradicate the disease. I didn't really believe him, but while watching the "Human Genome Project" extra credit video, I learned that companies were able to get patents on portions of DNA sequencing. This leads to my question: With the copious amounts of money being given to individual research groups, is it possible/likely that cures are being delayed and/or shelved? DK
ReplyDeleteIm gonna take a stab at answering your question. In my research I found that there are two types of cures that scientists and researchers are talking about, they are called functional and sterilising cures. Functional basically acts as a supressor which lowers the hiv levels in the body so that you cant really detect it. Sterillising completely eradicates the virus. The main reason that these cures are being "delayed" to many of those who suffer with this infection because it is so expense that most cannot afford it. There are viable treatments, its not as easly accesable to the public as it should.
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ReplyDeleteI find the subject of antiviral measures interesting, especially when dealing with the rapidly mutating HIV virus. I wonder though, do you think that this is a viable measure? There are some who feel that it would be better to spend the immense amount of money being used to develop (and the subsequent cost of treatments after approved) to give free or cheap access to the drugs that block the spread of HIV from person to person, which if made readily available, and in high prevalence areas even mandatory, I have heard it said that it would be possible to eradicate HIV entirely in as little as 3 generations. PS
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