Cancer immunotherapy linked with HIV too: Research study
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) A type of immunotherapy that has shown promising results against cancer could also fight HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a new study has found.
Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles found that recently discovered potent antibodies can be used to generate a specific type of cell called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), that can be used to kill cells infected with HIV-1, Medical Xpress reported.
CARs are artificially created immune T-cells that have been engineered to produce receptors on their surface that are designed to target and kill specific cells containing viruses or tumor proteins. Chimeric receptors are the focus of ongoing research into how gene immunotherapy can be used to fight cancer.
However, they could also be used to create a strong immune response against HIV, said Otto Yang, professor at UCLA.
Researchers have been looking for ways to strengthen the immune system against HIV, and it now appears CARs could be a weapon in that fight. "We took new generation antibodies and engineered them as artificial T-cell receptors, to reprogramme killer T-cells to kill HIV-infected cells," said Yang.
The new research differs because it takes advantage of new antibodies that have been discovered in the past few years. In the previous trials, researchers had used an early type that was not antibody-based. That approach, however, was abandoned because it was clinically ineffective.
