Cell Therapy Shows Promise In Fight Against HIV
UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS. In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Virology, the UC Davis HIV team demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of transplanting anti-HIV stem cells into mice that represent models of infected patients. The technique, which involves replacing the immune system with stem cells engineered with a triple combination of HIV-resistant genes, proved capable of replicating a normally functioning human immune system by protecting and expanding HIV-resistant immune cells.
Study Addresses Long-Standing Debate About Funding Imbalances For Global Diseases
While the battle against HIV/AIDS attracts more donor funding globally than all other diseases combined, it has not diverted attention from fighting unrelated afflictions - such as malaria, measles and malnutrition - and may be improving health services overall in targeted countries, according to a study on Rwanda published in the May 2012 edition of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. A six-year investigation of health clinics in Rwanda by researchers at Brandeis University infuses fresh evidence into a long-standing debate about whether the intensive focus on HIV/AIDS, which in 2010 alone killed 1.
Breastfeeding For Longer Plus Extended ART May Reduce Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission
Long-term results of the Breastfeeding, Antiretrovirals, and Nutrition (BAN) randomized trial reveals that breastfeeding for a longer period along (6+ months) with antiretroviral therapy (ART) could help reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission as well as improve chances of infant's survival. Children are not protected from HIV infection, however, if breastfeeding is stopped before 6 months, the risk of growth problems, illness and mortality is increased. In an associated comment, Louise Kuhn from Columbia University, New York, USA, and Hoosen Coovadia from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, write: "BAN re-emphasizes that breastfeeding is essential for infant survival and wellbeing.