Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of
Yeshiva University have discovered how the protein that blocks HIV-1 from
multiplying in white blood cells is regulated. HIV-1 is the virus that causes
AIDS, and the discovery could lead to novel approaches for addressing HIV-1 "in
hiding" – namely eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 that persist in patients
undergoing antiretroviral therapy. The study was published today in the online
edition of the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Antiretroviral therapy can reduce blood levels of HIV-1
until they are undetectable. But despite drug therapy, reservoirs of HIV-1 can
persist in several types of white cells, notably macrophages – important immune
cells that help clear pathogens and other potentially harmful substances from
the body.