Baltimore Woman May Hold Key to Curing AIDS

According to Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor for Newsdaily.com, a woman, who was infected with the AIDS virus more than 10 years ago, may be the key to curing the dread disease. According to Fox, the woman has never showed signs of being infected with the virus even though she is infected with a fully pathogenic form of the disease.

She was infected by her husband; a former IV drug user. While he must take a cocktail of some of the strongest HIV drugs, she is able to control the virus naturally. The woman, who is not being identified due to privacy concerns, is what U.S. researchers call an "elite suppressor". According to a team at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, studies of the cells controlling her immune reaction have begun to provide clues to how her body effects the elite suppressor response.

Dr. Joel Blankson, head researcher, adds, according to NewsDaily.com: "This is the best evidence that elite suppressors can have the fully pathogenic virus." This is not the first incidence of elite suppression. In 2006, Johns Hopkins reported at the International Conference on AIDS that 1 to 2 percent of those infected in the Baltimore area, naturally suppressed the AIDS virus. Initially it was thought that perhaps they had been infected with a weaker strain.

The woman and her husband indicate they have been monogamous for about 17 years. Each is infected with the exact same strain of the virus. The wife's immune response is the only variance between the two. Dr. Blankson feels that this difference offers a great opportunity, in terms of developing an effective vaccine. He added that the vaccine would, most likely, not prevent transmission of the disease but could be an effective treatment protocol.

According to a UN AIDS report referenced on newsdaily.com, the AIDS virus has killed some 25 million people since it's identification in the early 80's. At least 33 million people, globally, are living with the virus. 1 million of those reside in the United States. The most recent studies show that 56,000 new cases, of HIV, are identified each year. Of that number, a large percentage are gay and bisexual men along with IV drug users. However, sexually active senior citizens, returning to the dating scene as well as women and teenagers make up a significant percentage of the newly infected.

Dr. Blankson's team reported, in the Journal of Virology, that the woman's CD8 T-cells stalled HIV virus replication by as much as 90 percent. Blankson added on scientificblogging.com, "Our findings offer hope to vaccine researchers because they reveal that the immune system's primary offense known as the CD8 Killer T-cells can effectively halt disease progression by a pathogenic form of HIV."

Per scientificblogging.com, Dr, Blankson shared that elite suppressors not only lower the viral count through their immune response, but they also "exert evolutionary pressure on the original strain of HIV to mutate it away from a strong version" to a weaker, less fit version. Blankson and his team are eager to find out exactly how the woman's T-cells actually work to inhibit viral replication. Per newsdaily.com, Dr. Blankson said, "We are trying to see what kinds of cytokines they make."

Cytokines are immune signaling proteins. The wife makes two different kinds of cytokines; Gamma Interferon and Tumor Necrosis Factor(TNF). These cytokines are known to weaken the virus. Researchers have tried, in the past, to craft vaccines made by utilizing and isolating these immune signalling proteins. However, their efforts have been largely unsuccessful. Additionally, the woman's immune response is selective, only coming into play when it encounters the virus. Blankson shared that because of the woman's immune process, they are studying an approach based on her T-cell action. The woman also has unusual activity in her Human Leucocyte Antigens(HLA) system. This is a systemic function that recognizes antigens(protein identifiers) of enemy bacteria and viruses.

Though other elite suppressors have been studied, this is the first instance where researchers have had a monogamous couple infected with the same strain of the virus who are exhibiting significantly different reactions to the disease.

Sources

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/hiv/dn9754-bid-to-solve-riddle-of-natural-resistance-to-hiv.html

http://www.dchealth.dc.gov/doh/lib/doh/services/administration_offices/hiv_aids/pdf/hiv_in_older_americans.pdf

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1976389

http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/why_some_with_hiv_never_get_aids_even_without_treatment

http://newsdaily.com/stories/col954962-bc-aids/

http://newsdaily.com/stories/n12272560-a7s-couple/