HIV Reservoirs and Eradication Working Group is looking at priorities in research
Major challenges are being faced by scientists in finding a one time and foolproof cure to HIV. The HIV Reservoirs and Viral Eradication Transformative Science Group are trying to break through the obstacles to infection of HIV-I. Some of the viruses are well documented, but the trouble faced by researchers is with those that remain latent in the human body after antiretroviral therapy is administered. The workshops that are being held on a regular basis are trying to arrive at a solution to stop the virus from multiplying. There is a great risk of latent reservoirs after ART as the therapy cannot be continued for a prolonged period of time.
If there is a pause in ART, the viruses that remain hidden in not only cells, but several other organs as well including the blood stream, often tend to spring back with renewed vigor. The HIV Reservoirs Science Group is trying to classify and characterize the reservoirs of HIV-I on those affected with suppressive ART. Researchers are also identifying molecular markers of HIV reservoirs in a bid to act as surrogates for the viruses which are infectious. Virus eradication was possible with stem cell transplant on what has become popular as the Berlin patient. Virus eradication became possible from the transplant and a necessity has come about to define the correlation between immune exhaustion and activation and persistence of virus in blood and tissues.
Some ‘proof of concept’ studies have also been conducted on the HIV-I reservoirs before, during and after dosing with the new therapies that are being used. HIV Reservoirs Group is basically focused on presence of the virus in little known areas of the human body. There is no clear cut knowledge about their exact presence as newer findings have revealed that they can remain hidden in unexpected areas like tissues and blood. It is getting hard to determine at present.
But, scientific priorities are also fast emerging with more and more data coming to the fore. The complexities that characterize HIV-persistence should be met taking many aspects into account. The HIV Reservoirs and Eradication Working Group is looking to involve people from a wide category of disciplines. It is not only research scientists only, but also professionals from outside the group drawn from several industries connected with medicines and health care and colleges and universities.
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