Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS as it is popularly known, is one of the most fatal epidemics to have ever plagued humanity. This disorder is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV.
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What is HIV?
The virus enters the body via bodily fluids, like sexual transmission, using an infected needle or from mother to child during childbirth or breastfeeding. For several decades now, scientists have been searching for a cure for HIV/AIDS. Millions of people have died from the disorder as there is no sure shot treatment for the disease yet.
However, this year has been a lot of advancement in the cure for this epidemic. Here is a look at the most recent ventures in medical therapies.
The research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School has revealed that a team of researchers has been working on the concept of ‘kick and kill’. The idea is to to find the infected cells and get them out of the body.
CMV could help recognize the cells
When someone is infected by HIV, the virus tends to go into an inactive state and hide in the T helper cells DNA. The study aims to find the cells and then administer medication that will then kill them.
Researchers found that 95% of HIV patients have been infected by cytomegalovirus which causes herpes. The virus can lie dormant in the body and spreads through bodily fluids just like HIV. While it is extremely difficult to detect the presence of HIV in the cells, scientists are working on trying to find a way to detect the presence of CMV and then kick those cells out of the body.
Hopefully, we will see the potential for this theory to develop further in the coming years.
