A few months ago, a very complex and very exciting study was published. The American Gene Company is researching how to make the body better detect HIV in order to eradicate it.
HIV is a chronic infection where our body fails in its normal ability to mount a full immune response.
White blood cells are responsible for initiating an attack against viral infections, and a type of blood cell called CD4 is where this failure of the immune attack occurs.
This company has developed a therapy that consists of administering these cells to the HIV-positive patient, but genetically modifying them first to rectify this error.
And it works – these new and modified cells persisted for several months at interesting levels, so much so that the author proposes doing the same but removing the normal antiretroviral drugs that HIV patients take to see if these cells keep them healthy.
It is correct to say that PrEP has been the tool that has brought us closest to the end of the times of HIV, but these novel therapies may have a role as well.