Question
Is there still research on waking sleeping cells?
7 March 2011. Related: All topics, Cure, Living with HIV long-term.
Hi Simon
I was a facilitor for TAC in 2008. I have a question. What happend with the research that we spoke about for the sleeping cells in our body to wake it up. Is going to happen?
Musa
Answer
Hi Musa
This research is still going on though it is slow and there have not been major breakthroughs yet.
At the CROI conference last week one of the oral presentations included two new compounds that might be useful – still very early research:
http://www.retroconference.org/2011/Abstracts/42085.htm
Did you see our story on gene therapy where a some CD4 cells are changed and then reinfused back to the person?
https://i-base.info/home/croi-news-gene-treatment-boosts-cd4s/
Great to hear from you – I hope everything is going well.
Simon
Hi James
A cure may, or may not be possible. It is a touch scientific problem and many people are working on this.
In the last few years the research has expanded and people are much more optimisitic. But even is this does prove possible, the timeline is likely to still take many years.
There are usually reports about updates on cure research at every major medical meeting, including the upcoming World AIDS Conference to be held in Washington later this month. HIV newsletters and websites should be reporting more new on this. Following the research is one way to stay up to date. You clinic might also be involved in research studies that you would be interested in joining – though this is still in early stages.
Hi
I myself, am “HIV” positive, and I am very frustrated and angry to know that as we are in the 21st century, and still no cure.
How can we, “Speed” things up.
Many thanks
James