Altered HIV provides window to vaccine and drug development

Researchers at John Hopkins have created an altered HIV virus that cannot attack the immune system and, in addition, elicits a response from the adaptive immune system. The researchers found that cholesterol-depleted human immune cells cannot be infected by HIV. Intrigued by this phenomenon, the researchers decided to alter the cholesterol-rich protective coat that covers the HIV genome. By removing the cholesterol coat, and testing on human immune cells in vitro, the altered HIV virus was created.

Results from testing show that the altered HIV does not overwhelm the immune system in the way regular HIV does. The innate immune response was initiated, rather than the spike in interferons that would regularly by elicited by HIV. In addition, in blood samples with all the necessary cells for an adaptive immune response, the adaptive immune response was initiated for the altered virus.

The discovery made by these researchers is interesting for two reasons. One: it shows a way to make immune cells react appropriately to the HIV virus with an adaptive immune response, which could aid in vaccine development. Two: it shows that attacking the cholesterol coating in HIV renders the virus ineffective against the immune system, opening the door to development of drugs that could possibly treat HIV in this way.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hide_and_seek_altered_hiv_cant_evade_immune_system