Recent Canadian led medical breakthroughs in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Although 2009 is just half over, already a number of important medical breakthroughs have occurred in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with some of the most groundbreaking studies coming out of Canada.

The first Canadian medical breakthrough of the year came this spring. The research focused on finding where HIV is hiding in the body and how to attack HIV’s hiding places using chemotherapy and current Highly Active Retroviral (HAART) treatments.

What is it?
A new way of attacking HIV

When was it discovered?
Spring 2009

Why is this groundbreaking?
One of the largest issues with combating HIV, is that it establishes a hideout within specific cells (known as an HIV reservoirs), making the virus almost impossible for current antiretroviral drugs to target and kill.

In the study, the researchers were able to identify HIV reservoir cells and the stealthy mechanisms that protect them. In short they found HIV’s hideout in the body.

The researchers further learned that when the HIV virus hides within reservoir cells, it can no longer survive without the cell. As a result, if the problematic cell dies, so does the virus resident within it.

Because scientists know where the virus is they believe they can now target and attack the infected cells using antiretroviral drugs and chemotherapy while giving the body a chance to produce new healthy immune cells.

Who is doing the research?
Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, of the Université de Montréal. Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Minnesota in the United States

How long until this treatment is available?
A study will begin in September to test the validity of these results. If targeted chemotherapy successfully eliminates HIV, researchers say the feasibility of the treatment will be determined over the next two to three years, with medication becoming available a few years after that.

Possible issues:
Some HIV-positive patients do not respond to antiretroviral therapy. For those patients, zapping the cell will not likely yield any significant results.


For more on this study:

Science Daily - New Weapon In The War Against HIV-AIDS: Combined Antiviral And Targeted Chemotherapy
Health News - No More Hiding for Virus Causing AIDS-HIV
Ottawa Citizen - Treatment of HIV 'sanctuary' cells creates path for possible cure: researchers
Study Abstract