Eight years ago, scientists declared the HIV could not be cured, but then there was the case of the Berlin Patient, who became the first person to ever be fully cured. Now science may be on the brink of discovering a successful AIDS cure, according to researchers at a Danish hospital.
Researchers at in Denmark have conducted a small study on 15 HIV patients testing a new, after-infection therapy. With funding worth of $2.1 million by the Danish Research Council, scientists at the Aarhus University Hospital have been conducting clinical trials with a new approach, already proven in laboratory experiments. The difficulty in fighting HIV has been so far related to the fact that the virus connects with the human DNA, forming reservoirs within the DNA cells themselves. These so-called reservoirs are hidden, so the immune system can’t really find them and eliminate the virus. But the new treatment, presented by Dr. Ole Sogaard from the Department of Infectious Disease and his colleagues, offers the body’s immune system a way to confront HIV.
During the lab studies, the scientists managed to flush the virus from the reservoirs and bring it to the surface of the DNA cells. Once it comes out to the surface, the natural immune system will be able to detect it, and eventually eliminate it. After the first trials on isolated human cells were proven successful in the laboratory, the researchers were given green light to continue their pursuit in clinical trials with actual human subjects. The only thing that needs to be done is finding a way to boost the immune system which has become weaker because of the virus. According to Sogaard, a simple vaccine would be enough to help the body’s immune system strengthens and hunt and destroy HIV.
Human trials are now under way and nothing could be proved yet, but the scientists say that the early results are truly promising. They hope that this could be a real breakthrough and that finding a cure can be expected within months. Although all kinds of claims about discovering a treatment for AIDS are constantly in the news, there is still no effective cure for the disease. If the Danish scientists are right about this approach, this could be the end of the terrible global fight against AIDS.
