http://www.kvue.com/news/state/stories/072908kvuehivbreak...
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From the page: "an innovative way to kill the virus by finding this small region of HIV that is unchangeable,” Dr. Sudhir Paul of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston said.
Dr. Paul and Dr. Miguel Escobar arent talking about just suppressing HIV " theyre talking about destroying it permanently by arming the immune system with a new weapon lab tests have shown to be effective.
Ford Stuart has been HIV positive for 15 years. Hes on a powerful drug cocktail that keeps the disease in check.
oeIm on four different medications. Three of them are brand new, and its the first time that Ive ever been non-detectible,” Stuart said. oeIm down to about " just for the HIV " about nine pills per day, five in the morning and four at night.”
But Stuart knows HIV mutates, and eventually it will learn how to outsmart his medications.
oeThe virus is truly complex and has many tricks up its sleeve,” Paul said.
But Dr. Paul thinks hes cracked a code.
oeWeve discovered the weak spot of HIV,” he said.
Paul and his team have zeroed in on a section of a key protein in HIVs structure that does not mutate.
oeThe virus needs at least one constant region, and that is the essence of calling it the Achilles heel,” Paul said.
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KVUE's Lee McGuire reports
07/29/2008
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That Achilles heel is the doctors way in. They take advantage of it with something called an abzyme.
Its naturally produced by people, like lupus patients. When they applied that abzyme to the HIV virus, it permanently disarmed it.
oeWhat we already have in our hand are the abzymes that we could be infusing into the human subjects with HIV infection, essentially to move the virus,” Paul said.
Basically, their idea could be used to control the disease for people who already have it and prevent infection for those at risk.
The theory has held up in lab and animal testing. The next step is human trials.
Meanwhile, every day in Houston, three people are diagnosed with HIV.
The doctors still need funding to launch human trials. In the world of HIV research, thats often where things fall apart.
oeClinical trials are very expensive,” Paul said.
oeThat is the worry of the researcher. This is what nightmares are made of " that after 30 years of work, you find it doesnt work,” Paul said.
But so far, it is working.
oeThis is the holy grail of HIV research, to develop a preventative vaccine,” Paul said.
oeIf we can get the viral loads down to a manageable level, that will preclude the need for these conventional dru"
