Sianne Hazel
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, has been a major point of interest in the research world since the spike of its resulting disease, AIDS, in the 1980s; however, this virus had been prevalent in the human species long before, tracing as far back as the 1920s (Avert 2019). The ability of HIV to survive for a century without eradication from the human population, or even the development of a cure for AIDS is a direct result of the unique biology of this virus.
HIV is a single-stranded RNA virus that can produce double-stranded viral DNA through the process of Reverse Transcription. The virus is then able to integrate this double-stranded DNA into the host cell’s chromosomes and remain latent, or inactive, for a cell’s lifetime (NIAID 2018). During the latent phase, the body’s immune system cannot recognize the foreign DNA, thus it can replicate unnoticed until viral DNA is present in almost every cell in the body. With no known mechanism to remove the integrated DNA from the host cell, an HIV infection is extremely difficult to remove completely from a patient’s body, because there is almost always a leftover repository of infected cells that will replicate to produce more infected cells, even after treatment.
Research aimed at finding a cure for AIDS has recently centered around the genetic material of the virus itself. For decades, scientists have known that the HIV virus makes two forms of its RNA during the viral life cycle—one that will be spliced and translated into structural components, and one full-length genome that will serve as the genetic material of the progeny virus—both of which are necessary for the virus to proliferate. Professor Michael Summers and his team at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) led by Dr. Joshua Brown, however, were able to identify the specific guanosine nucleotide that determines which version of viral RNA the virus will produce, and this nucleotide has been the target for many new antiviral drugs that are being developed (Science Daily 2020). According to Issac Chaudry, one of the co-authors of the paper and an undergraduate researcher in the lab, they have now been “testing different molecules that could shift the equilibrium between the two forms, so that it could potentially be used as a treatment for HIV” (Hansen 2020). Due to HIV’s high mutation rate, the most successful trials to this day have been for therapeutic drugs that target multiple stages in the life cycle, thus having a higher chance of eliminating the virus through one of these stages. However, the discovery made by the UMBC lab shows considerable promise because the single nucleotide responsible for RNA production is found in a region of viral DNA that is highly conserved, meaning it has a much lower mutation rate, and any potential drug that targets this region would be more effective for longer (Science Daily 2020).
Current treatment for an HIV infection involves being put on an HIV Treatment Regimen. On this regimen, one must take several different medications referred to as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), usually daily, that work to reduce the viral load in a person’s blood to an undetectable level, preventing symptoms and transmission of infection. ART is a combination of three or more medications, sometimes condensed into one pill, but the classes of medications that are taken can differ from person to person depending on other their individual needs including underlying diseases or conditions that may affect reactivity with the medication (NIH 2019). With Dr. Brown’s discovery along with further research and clinical trials, there is potential to develop a treatment plan that involves taking only one drug, having fewer side effects, and having the ability to offer different options for those with other conditions as well (Hansen 2020).
The future of HIV research continues to brighten as more is uncovered about the biology of the virus and how it can be manipulated by new therapeutic drugs. For those afflicted with AIDS, each momentous step in the development of a new treatment provides hope of one day living a life free of this disease—a hope that is felt by almost 40 million people worldwide (UNAIDS 2020).
Works Cited:
Global HIV & AIDS statistics - 2019 fact sheet. UNAIDS. [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
Hansen S. UMBC team makes breakthrough discovery in HIV research, opening path to new, better therapies. UMBC NEWS. 2020 Apr 24 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://news.umbc.edu/umbc-team-makes-breakthrough-discovery-in-hiv-research-opening-path-to-new-better-therapies/
History of HIV and AIDS overview. Avert. 2019 Oct 10 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview
HIV Replication Cycle. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 2018 Jun 19 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/hiv-replication-cycle
The HIV Life Cycle Understanding HIV/AIDS. National Institutes of Health. 2019 Jul 1 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/19/73/the-hiv-life-cycle
University of Maryland Baltimore County. Breakthrough discovery in HIV research opens path to new, better therapies. ScienceDaily. 2020 Apr 23 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200423143131.htm
Verch M. Diagnosis HIV written on medical blue folder. Flickr. 2019 Aug 17 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/48558125792/
HIV is a single-stranded RNA virus that can produce double-stranded viral DNA through the process of Reverse Transcription. The virus is then able to integrate this double-stranded DNA into the host cell’s chromosomes and remain latent, or inactive, for a cell’s lifetime (NIAID 2018). During the latent phase, the body’s immune system cannot recognize the foreign DNA, thus it can replicate unnoticed until viral DNA is present in almost every cell in the body. With no known mechanism to remove the integrated DNA from the host cell, an HIV infection is extremely difficult to remove completely from a patient’s body, because there is almost always a leftover repository of infected cells that will replicate to produce more infected cells, even after treatment.
Research aimed at finding a cure for AIDS has recently centered around the genetic material of the virus itself. For decades, scientists have known that the HIV virus makes two forms of its RNA during the viral life cycle—one that will be spliced and translated into structural components, and one full-length genome that will serve as the genetic material of the progeny virus—both of which are necessary for the virus to proliferate. Professor Michael Summers and his team at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) led by Dr. Joshua Brown, however, were able to identify the specific guanosine nucleotide that determines which version of viral RNA the virus will produce, and this nucleotide has been the target for many new antiviral drugs that are being developed (Science Daily 2020). According to Issac Chaudry, one of the co-authors of the paper and an undergraduate researcher in the lab, they have now been “testing different molecules that could shift the equilibrium between the two forms, so that it could potentially be used as a treatment for HIV” (Hansen 2020). Due to HIV’s high mutation rate, the most successful trials to this day have been for therapeutic drugs that target multiple stages in the life cycle, thus having a higher chance of eliminating the virus through one of these stages. However, the discovery made by the UMBC lab shows considerable promise because the single nucleotide responsible for RNA production is found in a region of viral DNA that is highly conserved, meaning it has a much lower mutation rate, and any potential drug that targets this region would be more effective for longer (Science Daily 2020).
Current treatment for an HIV infection involves being put on an HIV Treatment Regimen. On this regimen, one must take several different medications referred to as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), usually daily, that work to reduce the viral load in a person’s blood to an undetectable level, preventing symptoms and transmission of infection. ART is a combination of three or more medications, sometimes condensed into one pill, but the classes of medications that are taken can differ from person to person depending on other their individual needs including underlying diseases or conditions that may affect reactivity with the medication (NIH 2019). With Dr. Brown’s discovery along with further research and clinical trials, there is potential to develop a treatment plan that involves taking only one drug, having fewer side effects, and having the ability to offer different options for those with other conditions as well (Hansen 2020).
The future of HIV research continues to brighten as more is uncovered about the biology of the virus and how it can be manipulated by new therapeutic drugs. For those afflicted with AIDS, each momentous step in the development of a new treatment provides hope of one day living a life free of this disease—a hope that is felt by almost 40 million people worldwide (UNAIDS 2020).
Works Cited:
Global HIV & AIDS statistics - 2019 fact sheet. UNAIDS. [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
Hansen S. UMBC team makes breakthrough discovery in HIV research, opening path to new, better therapies. UMBC NEWS. 2020 Apr 24 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://news.umbc.edu/umbc-team-makes-breakthrough-discovery-in-hiv-research-opening-path-to-new-better-therapies/
History of HIV and AIDS overview. Avert. 2019 Oct 10 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview
HIV Replication Cycle. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 2018 Jun 19 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/hiv-replication-cycle
The HIV Life Cycle Understanding HIV/AIDS. National Institutes of Health. 2019 Jul 1 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/19/73/the-hiv-life-cycle
University of Maryland Baltimore County. Breakthrough discovery in HIV research opens path to new, better therapies. ScienceDaily. 2020 Apr 23 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200423143131.htm
Verch M. Diagnosis HIV written on medical blue folder. Flickr. 2019 Aug 17 [accessed 2020 May 9]. https://flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/48558125792/
Proudly powered by Weebly