New HIV Treatment That May Potentially Cure Millions Heads To Human Trial
Image ID 37133467 © via Sherry Young | Dreamstime.com
At the end of 2020, there were over 37 million individuals living with HIV worldwide. While there is no known cure for the disease, the World Health Organization believes that, with the right treatment, the infection can become a manageable chronic condition, allowing infected persons to still live long and healthy lives.
Now, in a major breakthrough, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is bringing its new HIV treatment to human trials, beginning as early as next summer. According to Bloomberg, the British pharmaceutical giant has been a pioneer in the space since the start of the AIDS epidemic over 40 years ago.
According to Interesting Engineering, the latest treatment “wakes up” the virus within infected persons’ immune systems, allowing it to “come out of hiding” so it can be targeted and eradicated by medicine. This technology has already been tested on other primates, with a high degree of success.
“If it works in humans, then the question will be how do we clear it away once we’ve induced it,” said Dr Kimberly Smith, Head of Research and Development at GSK’s HIV Health Division, ViiV Healthcare.
In a separate study in Japan, scientists have developed a vaccine that killed a type of HIV virus in macaques, with plans to pivot it for human trials in the next five years. Moderna, known for its COVID-19 vaccine, has also begun human tests for its mRNA-based HIV vaccine, showing that scientists globally aren’t wasting any time at finding an elusive cure for the disease.
“It’s been a long battle against HIV and things are much better, people are living long lives. But, it’s still a burden. It’s still massively stigmatized. And so getting to a cure, we feel like it’s within reach. Will we get to a cure in the 20, 30-year timeframe? I certainly hope so,” Smith quipped.
[via Interesting Engineering, cover image via Sherry Young | Dreamstime.com]
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