Question

Can reactivating resting CD4 cells eliminate HIV?

22 March 2010. Related: All topics, Cure.

Hi, I have to say thanks for all the valuable information on this site it is and has been very helpful.

I came across a web page saying that prostratin is only 80% effective. I have also read on here that with ARVs it will take up to 70 years to rid the body of HIV. I found out that prostratin is more effective when combined with valproic acid and that even at 80% effectiveness it would take an average of 14 years to rid the body of HIV providing there is no drug resistance.

I saw something about BIT225 also having an effect on activating the resting CD4 cells. Even if this has only some effect would it not reduce the time it would otherwise take to eradicate HIV even further may be 10 years?

Even if these methods aren’t 100% effective surely it would be still worth using them to try to rid the body of HIV? Surely it wouldn’t take too long to go through clinical trials as the Samoan people have been using prostratin for years so there shouldn’t be much need to do mass amounts of toxicology tests.

If all goes well with prostratin how long would it take to get in to the clinic?

Is there any research going on in the UK for eradication of HIV?

I understand that selenium makes HIV more docile if this is the case then would using selenium decrease the chance of viral rebound ie drug resistance?

Thanks for your help

Answer

Answer: Charlotte Walker

Thank you for your question.

It is great to see you taking such an interest in HIV research. There is a lot of information on the internet and you may find contradictory messages so it is good that you contacted us for more information.

There have been several studies recently using prostratin with valproic acid to reactivate resting CD4 cells. However, the results have not been as promising as we had hoped and resulted in the study participants getting quite sick. This research is on going. It is hard to put a time-frame on when this treatment would be available if it is found to work successfully.

Eradication research is on-going with some happening in the UK but most in the USA. I am not sure exactly which institutes in the UK are focusing specifically on eradication.

Selenium has been shown to decrease viral load and increase CD4 counts in HIV positive people but it does not stop drug resistance. Adherence to HIV treatments remains the most effective way to decrease the chance of drug resistance.

For more information about the role of selenium please follow this link

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