Source: AIDSMAP
There are currently over 20 drugs available to treat HIV, but there is still a need for new drugs. This is mainly because HIV can become resistant to the drugs used to treat it. Researchers are not only trying to develop drugs that have a powerful effect against HIV, but that are also easy to take and cause fewer side-effects than those that are currently available.
CCR5 inhibitors are a new class of anti-HIV drug. They prevent HIV from binding to the surface of key CD4 immune system calls. One CCR5 inhibitor, maraviroc (Celsentri) has already been approved and another, vicriviroc, is doing very well in clinical trials.
Researchers are working on another type of drug that targets CCR5. It uses a special type of human antibody called “monoclonal antibodies.” Their main advantage could be that they only have to be taken every two weeks, or possibly even just once a month, but still have a powerful anti-HIV effect.
The safety and effectiveness of an experimental drug that uses this technology, called HGS004, was examined in a small study involving 63 HIV-positive patients. They were not taking any other anti-HIV drugs. The patients were randomised and given a single injection consisting of one of five different doses of the drug or a placebo.
Three of the doses led to big falls in viral load, that lasted as long as 28 days in some of the people who received the higher dose. The drug appeared safe. A similar drug that is also in development called HGS101 is thought to be five to ten times more powerful.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Cutting Funding Equals Cutting Lives
A statement by AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario
TORONTO, March 18 /CNW/ - A life saving post card campaign is being launched by people living with HIV/AIDS, their friends, families and service organizations in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec after the Federal government slashed community HIV funding across the country.
This HIV funding is used to provide direct services to the 62,000 Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and for implementing education programs designed to prevent new HIV infections. 2,508 Canadians were diagnosed with HIV in 2006, 14% more than were diagnosed in 2001. It is estimated that approximately 4,000 Canadians are actually newly infected with HIV each year. There still is no cure for AIDS; it continues to be a debilitating and fatal illness.
Ontario alone lost 30% of its promised federal funding with a $1 million cut in funding for programs to prevent HIV and to provide support services for people who are already infected. Quebec lost 24% of its funding and Alberta AIDS Service Organizations still have no commitment from the federal government to continue their funding which expires March 31, 2008.
AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario are united in urging Canadians to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to their Members of Parliament that, Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives.
"Given a commitment by all of Canada's major political parties to double the funding by 2008 we were shocked when we learned of the cuts" said Sue Cress, Chair of the Alberta Community Council on HIV. "Alberta AIDS Service Organizations have not received an increase in funding since 2004. Instead of an expected increase this year, we will have a decrease from last year's amounts."
The Federal Initiative on HIV/AIDS promised to increase funding from $42.2 million to $84.5 million by 2008-09. The government's own figures show that $7 million will be cut from front-line service organizations at the national and regional levels over a 5 year period. These cuts are occurring as HIV/AIDS-related programs and services are experiencing dramatic increases in demand both because of the number of new infections and because people with HIV are living longer. In fact there was a 43% increase in demands for service between 1993 and 2003.
Lyse Pinault, General Director of Quebec's Coalition des Organismes Communautaires Quebecois de Lutte Contre le SIDA (COCQSIDA) stated, "Quebec has never before received a funding cut to our HIV/AIDS prevention and support services from any previous Federal government. The cost of preventing HIV is much cheaper than the cost of expensive medications to treat it."
Every HIV infection that is prevented saves approximately three quarters of a million dollars in direct and indirect costs.
On July 31, 2006, Minister of Health Tony Clement stated in a press release "...HIV/AIDS remains an issue of significant concern for Canada". Despite this assurance AIDS organizations were not given any notice that cuts were coming or a clear explanation as to why these cuts were needed. Information on the Public Health Agency of Canada's website advises that funds have been diverted to a new HIV vaccine program announced by the Prime Minister and Bill Gates on February 20, 2007.
According to Rick Kennedy, Executive Director of the Ontario AIDS Network, "Vaccine research is important for our future, but it should not come at the expense of people who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Our lives should not be any more expendable than people living with other serious health conditions. It is hard to imagine the government cutting support services for people with cancer or other very serious diseases to invest in research that may or may not prove life saving. An AIDS vaccine is many, many years into the future. What happens to our health now?"
Twenty-two years ago on December 10, 1986 a World Health Organization specialist announced that human testing of an AIDS vaccine would begin the following year. A vaccine for AIDS is still decades away. We need more vaccine research and ultimately a cure. However, Canada must not regress and reduce its efforts to prevent new HIV infections and save lives now, before a vaccine is found. Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives. Funding must be restored to the levels promised in the Federal Initiative.
We are calling on all Canadians to join us in letting the Prime Minister and his government know that these cuts are hurting Canada's ability to stop AIDS.
Send a message to the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament that HIV prevention, education and support services are important. Postcards for the "Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives" campaign can be obtained in French or English at www.increaseaidsfunding.ca
TORONTO, March 18 /CNW/ - A life saving post card campaign is being launched by people living with HIV/AIDS, their friends, families and service organizations in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec after the Federal government slashed community HIV funding across the country.
This HIV funding is used to provide direct services to the 62,000 Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and for implementing education programs designed to prevent new HIV infections. 2,508 Canadians were diagnosed with HIV in 2006, 14% more than were diagnosed in 2001. It is estimated that approximately 4,000 Canadians are actually newly infected with HIV each year. There still is no cure for AIDS; it continues to be a debilitating and fatal illness.
Ontario alone lost 30% of its promised federal funding with a $1 million cut in funding for programs to prevent HIV and to provide support services for people who are already infected. Quebec lost 24% of its funding and Alberta AIDS Service Organizations still have no commitment from the federal government to continue their funding which expires March 31, 2008.
AIDS Service Organizations in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario are united in urging Canadians to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to their Members of Parliament that, Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives.
"Given a commitment by all of Canada's major political parties to double the funding by 2008 we were shocked when we learned of the cuts" said Sue Cress, Chair of the Alberta Community Council on HIV. "Alberta AIDS Service Organizations have not received an increase in funding since 2004. Instead of an expected increase this year, we will have a decrease from last year's amounts."
The Federal Initiative on HIV/AIDS promised to increase funding from $42.2 million to $84.5 million by 2008-09. The government's own figures show that $7 million will be cut from front-line service organizations at the national and regional levels over a 5 year period. These cuts are occurring as HIV/AIDS-related programs and services are experiencing dramatic increases in demand both because of the number of new infections and because people with HIV are living longer. In fact there was a 43% increase in demands for service between 1993 and 2003.
Lyse Pinault, General Director of Quebec's Coalition des Organismes Communautaires Quebecois de Lutte Contre le SIDA (COCQSIDA) stated, "Quebec has never before received a funding cut to our HIV/AIDS prevention and support services from any previous Federal government. The cost of preventing HIV is much cheaper than the cost of expensive medications to treat it."
Every HIV infection that is prevented saves approximately three quarters of a million dollars in direct and indirect costs.
On July 31, 2006, Minister of Health Tony Clement stated in a press release "...HIV/AIDS remains an issue of significant concern for Canada". Despite this assurance AIDS organizations were not given any notice that cuts were coming or a clear explanation as to why these cuts were needed. Information on the Public Health Agency of Canada's website advises that funds have been diverted to a new HIV vaccine program announced by the Prime Minister and Bill Gates on February 20, 2007.
According to Rick Kennedy, Executive Director of the Ontario AIDS Network, "Vaccine research is important for our future, but it should not come at the expense of people who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Our lives should not be any more expendable than people living with other serious health conditions. It is hard to imagine the government cutting support services for people with cancer or other very serious diseases to invest in research that may or may not prove life saving. An AIDS vaccine is many, many years into the future. What happens to our health now?"
Twenty-two years ago on December 10, 1986 a World Health Organization specialist announced that human testing of an AIDS vaccine would begin the following year. A vaccine for AIDS is still decades away. We need more vaccine research and ultimately a cure. However, Canada must not regress and reduce its efforts to prevent new HIV infections and save lives now, before a vaccine is found. Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives. Funding must be restored to the levels promised in the Federal Initiative.
We are calling on all Canadians to join us in letting the Prime Minister and his government know that these cuts are hurting Canada's ability to stop AIDS.
Send a message to the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament that HIV prevention, education and support services are important. Postcards for the "Cutting Funding=Cutting Lives" campaign can be obtained in French or English at www.increaseaidsfunding.ca
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
New journal received: AIDS Education and Prevention, Vol. 20, no 1, February 2008
In this issue:
Cultural Adaptation of the Focus on Kids Program for College Students in China
Authors: Xiaoming Li, Bonita Stanton, Bo Wang et al.
pp. 1-14
Abstract
HIV Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners among HIV–Positive Methamphetamine-Using Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men
Authors: Karen C. McCready and Perry N. Halkitis
pp. 15-29
Abstract
Experiences and Sexual Behaviors of HIV–Infected MSM Who Acquired HIV in the Context of Crystal Methamphetamine Use
Authors: Matthew J. Mimiaga, Andrew D. Fair, Kenneth H. Mayer et al.
pp.30-41
Abstract
In the Shadows of a Prevention Campaign: Sexual Risk Behavior in the Absence of Crystal Methamphetamine
Authors: Christian Grov, Jeffrey T. Parsons and David S. Bimbi
pp. 42-55
Abstract
Gender Differences in Intimate Partner Violence on Substance Abuse, Sexual Risks, and Depression among a Sample of South Africans in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Frank Y. Wong, Z. Jennifer Huang, Julia A. DiGangi, et al.
pp. 56-64
Abstract
Self–Reported HIV Testing Behaviors among a Sample of Southeast Asians in an Urban Setting in the United States
Authors: Zhihuan Jennifer Huang, Frank Y. Wong, Jordana M. De Leon and Royce J. Park
pp. 65-77
Abstract
“Let's Talk About Sex”: Pilot Study of an Interactive CD–ROM to Prevent HIV/STIS in Female Adolescents
Authors: Kristin E. Ito, Sri Kalyanaraman, Carol A. Ford, et al.
pp 78-89
Abstract
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
Cultural Adaptation of the Focus on Kids Program for College Students in China
Authors: Xiaoming Li, Bonita Stanton, Bo Wang et al.
pp. 1-14
Abstract
HIV Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners among HIV–Positive Methamphetamine-Using Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men
Authors: Karen C. McCready and Perry N. Halkitis
pp. 15-29
Abstract
Experiences and Sexual Behaviors of HIV–Infected MSM Who Acquired HIV in the Context of Crystal Methamphetamine Use
Authors: Matthew J. Mimiaga, Andrew D. Fair, Kenneth H. Mayer et al.
pp.30-41
Abstract
In the Shadows of a Prevention Campaign: Sexual Risk Behavior in the Absence of Crystal Methamphetamine
Authors: Christian Grov, Jeffrey T. Parsons and David S. Bimbi
pp. 42-55
Abstract
Gender Differences in Intimate Partner Violence on Substance Abuse, Sexual Risks, and Depression among a Sample of South Africans in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Frank Y. Wong, Z. Jennifer Huang, Julia A. DiGangi, et al.
pp. 56-64
Abstract
Self–Reported HIV Testing Behaviors among a Sample of Southeast Asians in an Urban Setting in the United States
Authors: Zhihuan Jennifer Huang, Frank Y. Wong, Jordana M. De Leon and Royce J. Park
pp. 65-77
Abstract
“Let's Talk About Sex”: Pilot Study of an Interactive CD–ROM to Prevent HIV/STIS in Female Adolescents
Authors: Kristin E. Ito, Sri Kalyanaraman, Carol A. Ford, et al.
pp 78-89
Abstract
Contact the library to request copies of articles.
The nearly forgotten plague
Source: The Globe and Mail
Cutting-edge AIDS medications have lengthened patients' lives and given many a better existence than they would have had 10 years ago, but these advances have helped push the disease out of mainstream consciousness. Health-care workers point to continuing problems that need attention: 'premature aging,' lack of bed space and failure to make sure everyone - especially the poor - gets medicine
ROD MICKLEBURGH March 15, 2008
VANCOUVER -- In the lobby of the gleaming Dr. Peter Centre for patients with AIDS, a man of indeterminate age is moaning.
"If I go out there, I'll die," he says to himself.
Another man shuffles past, his face pinched and gaunt. He looks 75 years old but isn't.
Later, a third man, Tom Griffin, came into a room to talk. Or rather, he was wheeled in by his friend, Spencer Dane. He has difficulty keeping his head up. His voice is weak. Conversation often drops off from fatigue and emotion. And this is a good day for the once-vigorous restaurateur, Mr. Dane said.
It's a face of AIDS not seen much any more. As breakthrough medications lengthen lives, saving tens of thousands of infected Canadians from a terrible, premature death, the news media have moved on to other stories. But a visit to Dr. Peter's, or a talk with anyone on the treatment front lines, is a sobering reminder that Old Man AIDS, the deadly viral trickster, hasn't gone away. People are still being infected, still suffering and still dying.
The picture is not pretty. Although more people than ever before are living with AIDS and HIV, many are far from healthy. Woeful gaps in care remain, between those stable enough to maintain life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy and those who remain on the wild side. Despite the best efforts of dedicated outreach workers and physicians, 40 per cent of the 1,436 British Columbians who died of HIV-related causes from 1997 to 2005 made no attempt to access the drugs, even though they were free.
Another 2,500 individuals in B.C. are estimated to be HIV-positive without knowing it, greatly increasing the risk of passing the lethal virus on to others. (...)
Click here to read the complete article.
Cutting-edge AIDS medications have lengthened patients' lives and given many a better existence than they would have had 10 years ago, but these advances have helped push the disease out of mainstream consciousness. Health-care workers point to continuing problems that need attention: 'premature aging,' lack of bed space and failure to make sure everyone - especially the poor - gets medicine
ROD MICKLEBURGH March 15, 2008
VANCOUVER -- In the lobby of the gleaming Dr. Peter Centre for patients with AIDS, a man of indeterminate age is moaning.
"If I go out there, I'll die," he says to himself.
Another man shuffles past, his face pinched and gaunt. He looks 75 years old but isn't.
Later, a third man, Tom Griffin, came into a room to talk. Or rather, he was wheeled in by his friend, Spencer Dane. He has difficulty keeping his head up. His voice is weak. Conversation often drops off from fatigue and emotion. And this is a good day for the once-vigorous restaurateur, Mr. Dane said.
It's a face of AIDS not seen much any more. As breakthrough medications lengthen lives, saving tens of thousands of infected Canadians from a terrible, premature death, the news media have moved on to other stories. But a visit to Dr. Peter's, or a talk with anyone on the treatment front lines, is a sobering reminder that Old Man AIDS, the deadly viral trickster, hasn't gone away. People are still being infected, still suffering and still dying.
The picture is not pretty. Although more people than ever before are living with AIDS and HIV, many are far from healthy. Woeful gaps in care remain, between those stable enough to maintain life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy and those who remain on the wild side. Despite the best efforts of dedicated outreach workers and physicians, 40 per cent of the 1,436 British Columbians who died of HIV-related causes from 1997 to 2005 made no attempt to access the drugs, even though they were free.
Another 2,500 individuals in B.C. are estimated to be HIV-positive without knowing it, greatly increasing the risk of passing the lethal virus on to others. (...)
Click here to read the complete article.
Study uncovers HIV 'mini-epidemics'
Source: Channel 4 News
HIV is spreading among gay men in mini-epidemics, a study has found.
Data from more than 2,000 infected men in London showed distinct clusters or "bursts" of the disease.
Researchers now believe targeted local campaigns in bars, nightclubs and via the internet could be the most effective way of curbing the spread of the disease by sexual contact.
The University of Edinburgh study was carried out with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, using data collected between 1997 and 2003. It found many men who became infected with the virus passed it on within a few months, often before they themselves had been diagnosed as HIV positive.
Professor Andrew Leigh Brown of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said: "By studying changes in the virus over time, we have been able to pinpoint its progress in stages through the groups of men affected, which until now has not been done effectively. What we have discovered is that some of the spread occurred in bursts, with groups of people becoming infected within a short period of time."
Prof Leigh Brown said such a pattern had been seen occasionally among HIV-infected drug users but had not been identified in sexual transmission until now. (...)
The study is published in PLoS Medicine. Click here to access it.
HIV is spreading among gay men in mini-epidemics, a study has found.
Data from more than 2,000 infected men in London showed distinct clusters or "bursts" of the disease.
Researchers now believe targeted local campaigns in bars, nightclubs and via the internet could be the most effective way of curbing the spread of the disease by sexual contact.
The University of Edinburgh study was carried out with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, using data collected between 1997 and 2003. It found many men who became infected with the virus passed it on within a few months, often before they themselves had been diagnosed as HIV positive.
Professor Andrew Leigh Brown of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said: "By studying changes in the virus over time, we have been able to pinpoint its progress in stages through the groups of men affected, which until now has not been done effectively. What we have discovered is that some of the spread occurred in bursts, with groups of people becoming infected within a short period of time."
Prof Leigh Brown said such a pattern had been seen occasionally among HIV-infected drug users but had not been identified in sexual transmission until now. (...)
The study is published in PLoS Medicine. Click here to access it.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Manitoba HIV rate almost quadruples among women
Source: CBC News
The rate of HIV infection is rising dramatically in Manitoba among women and First Nations communities, according to a new report by Manitoba Health. The proportion of newly diagnosed HIV cases among women has almost quadrupled in the past decade, compared with the previous one, the report says.
Of cases where the ethnicity of the patient is reported, one-third of all new infections were diagnosed in aboriginal people in the past seven years. Dr. Pierre Plourde, medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said one reason for the increase could be a change in attitude about HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus).
"We think that one of the reasons for that could be that HIV has now become seen as just a chronic condition that is manageable," he said.
"It's not the death sentence it used to be, and people's sexual behaviours are reflecting that now. There are much more risky sexual behaviours occurring in men and in women."
The trend for HIV infection on Manitoba First Nations appears to be mimicking the way infection has spread across sub-Saharan Africa, Plourde said.
Like sub-Saharan Africa
"If you look at the numbers among First Nations, the ratio of men-to-women cases is almost equal, which is more reflective of the type of dynamic that is seen in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting similar forms of transmission, i.e. men and women transmitting it to one another through sexual means," he said.
Between 1985 and 1995, about 65 per cent of new HIV cases were believed to have been transmitted among men having sex with men, the report says, while reported heterosexual transmissions made up just nine per cent. But in cases reported in the past decade, homosexual transmission cases had dropped to 18 per cent, while heterosexual transmission cases climbed to 32 per cent. Women accounted for a third of all new HIV cases in the past decade, compared with eight per cent in the previous one. Of the cases over the past seven years in which ethnicity of the patient was reported, 32 per cent of patients said they were aboriginal, 27 per cent white, and 20 per cent black. The number of people infected with HIV in Manitoba is still very low compared with other countries, Plourde said, but Manitoba has one of the highest per-capita rates of HIV infection in Canada.
82 new cases in 2007
A total of 1,477 people in Manitoba tested positive for HIV between 1985 and the end of 2007, according to the report. Eighty-two new cases were reported in 2007. More than 260 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1985, the report says; nearly three-quarters of them have died. More than 80 per cent of all HIV cases were reported among residents of Winnipeg. Positive HIV test results must, by law, be reported to provincial officials. AIDS cases and deaths are also reportable.
Last year, the provincial government made it possible for Manitobans to be tested anonymously for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, a move that was expected to encourage people who otherwise might not have been tested to do so.
The rate of HIV infection is rising dramatically in Manitoba among women and First Nations communities, according to a new report by Manitoba Health. The proportion of newly diagnosed HIV cases among women has almost quadrupled in the past decade, compared with the previous one, the report says.
Of cases where the ethnicity of the patient is reported, one-third of all new infections were diagnosed in aboriginal people in the past seven years. Dr. Pierre Plourde, medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said one reason for the increase could be a change in attitude about HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus).
"We think that one of the reasons for that could be that HIV has now become seen as just a chronic condition that is manageable," he said.
"It's not the death sentence it used to be, and people's sexual behaviours are reflecting that now. There are much more risky sexual behaviours occurring in men and in women."
The trend for HIV infection on Manitoba First Nations appears to be mimicking the way infection has spread across sub-Saharan Africa, Plourde said.
Like sub-Saharan Africa
"If you look at the numbers among First Nations, the ratio of men-to-women cases is almost equal, which is more reflective of the type of dynamic that is seen in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting similar forms of transmission, i.e. men and women transmitting it to one another through sexual means," he said.
Between 1985 and 1995, about 65 per cent of new HIV cases were believed to have been transmitted among men having sex with men, the report says, while reported heterosexual transmissions made up just nine per cent. But in cases reported in the past decade, homosexual transmission cases had dropped to 18 per cent, while heterosexual transmission cases climbed to 32 per cent. Women accounted for a third of all new HIV cases in the past decade, compared with eight per cent in the previous one. Of the cases over the past seven years in which ethnicity of the patient was reported, 32 per cent of patients said they were aboriginal, 27 per cent white, and 20 per cent black. The number of people infected with HIV in Manitoba is still very low compared with other countries, Plourde said, but Manitoba has one of the highest per-capita rates of HIV infection in Canada.
82 new cases in 2007
A total of 1,477 people in Manitoba tested positive for HIV between 1985 and the end of 2007, according to the report. Eighty-two new cases were reported in 2007. More than 260 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1985, the report says; nearly three-quarters of them have died. More than 80 per cent of all HIV cases were reported among residents of Winnipeg. Positive HIV test results must, by law, be reported to provincial officials. AIDS cases and deaths are also reportable.
Last year, the provincial government made it possible for Manitobans to be tested anonymously for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, a move that was expected to encourage people who otherwise might not have been tested to do so.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
HIV infections expected to rise
Source: ABC News
A study focusing on HIV infection trends in Australian gay men is predicting a substantial increase in HIV infection in some states over the next seven years.
The report released today by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research predicts a 73 per cent rise in HIV infections in Victoria and a 20 per cent rise in Queensland by 2015.
But the infection rate is predicted to show a slight decrease in New South Wales.
Researcher Dr David Wilson says reduced condom usage and a rise in other sexually transmitted diseases is expected to contribute to the increase.
"If somebody's HIV positive and have another infection such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, then they are 200 to 500 per cent more likely to transmit HIV to a susceptible person," he said.
Dr Wilson says increased promotion of safe sex is the most effective way to stop the rise HIV transmission.
A study focusing on HIV infection trends in Australian gay men is predicting a substantial increase in HIV infection in some states over the next seven years.
The report released today by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research predicts a 73 per cent rise in HIV infections in Victoria and a 20 per cent rise in Queensland by 2015.
But the infection rate is predicted to show a slight decrease in New South Wales.
Researcher Dr David Wilson says reduced condom usage and a rise in other sexually transmitted diseases is expected to contribute to the increase.
"If somebody's HIV positive and have another infection such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, then they are 200 to 500 per cent more likely to transmit HIV to a susceptible person," he said.
Dr Wilson says increased promotion of safe sex is the most effective way to stop the rise HIV transmission.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Gene could stop spread of HIV
Source: The Edmonton Sun
New research reveals from U of A
By KEVIN CRUSH, SUN MEDIA
New research out of the University of Alberta shows that a gene found in the human body could be used to stop the spread of HIV.
“It’s very exciting for patients who are infected with HIV,” said researcher Dr. Stephen Barr. “It gives them another target or hope that there is another gene that can help them out in their fight.”
News that there could be another weapon against HIV/AIDS is indeed a big deal, said Debra Jakubec, executive director of HIV Edmonton.
“It’s exciting research. It is still probably a far ways from getting it out of clinical research but it is exciting,” added Jakubec.
Three years ago while at the University of Pennsylvania, Barr, 32, began his work on a gene called TRIM22 – work that continued when he moved to the University of Alberta’s department of medical microbiology and immunology two years ago.
TRIM22 is a gene in humans that fights viruses. For a reason still unknown, TRIM22 doesn’t work in patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
But lab tests have shown that when TRIM22 is turned on in cell cultures infected with HIV, the gene stops the assembly of the virus and essentially locks the virus in the cell like a prisoner in a cage. If it can’t get out of the cell, the spread of HIV is stopped in its tracks.
“This gene works particularly at preventing the virus from getting out of cells. So it can’t stop the virus from getting in (to the cell) but it can lock it in so it can’t get out,” said Barr, whose research is being published in the medical journal PloS Pathogens.
It’s not a cure, cautioned Barr. It hasn’t been tried in live patients so it’s not known if TRIM22 could be turned on in a person or what would happen, but it could be a major step towards finding a cure.
“One hope is that if you can trap the virus in the cell, other defence mechanisms in the cell will try to get rid of it,” said Barr.
Another possibility is researchers may be able to develop drugs that mimic TRIM22 to be used to block the spread of HIV or even to possibly cure it.
“If we include TRIM22 in our therapies, it can be used in combination with drugs to make them more effective at blocking and killing the virus,” said Barr.
Jakubec is hopeful this research will help in finding a cure or vaccine, but she also cautions that cure is still a long ways off.
“If something does come out that’s a preventative vaccine, we would still want people to know just how effective it is and still practice safer sex,” she said.
She noted that Alberta is seeing rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis. Even the number of HIV infections in Alberta appears to be on the rise. New infections in the province used to average 170-180 per year, but in 2006 that rose to 218.
Barr is also cautioning that this is just a step in the fight against AIDS.
“We’re really in the infancy of the research. This is the initial discovery and we need to go in and find out how the virus is interacting with TRIM22, such as does the virus have a way of killing TRIM22 so that it can survive?”
New research reveals from U of A
By KEVIN CRUSH, SUN MEDIA
New research out of the University of Alberta shows that a gene found in the human body could be used to stop the spread of HIV.
“It’s very exciting for patients who are infected with HIV,” said researcher Dr. Stephen Barr. “It gives them another target or hope that there is another gene that can help them out in their fight.”
News that there could be another weapon against HIV/AIDS is indeed a big deal, said Debra Jakubec, executive director of HIV Edmonton.
“It’s exciting research. It is still probably a far ways from getting it out of clinical research but it is exciting,” added Jakubec.
Three years ago while at the University of Pennsylvania, Barr, 32, began his work on a gene called TRIM22 – work that continued when he moved to the University of Alberta’s department of medical microbiology and immunology two years ago.
TRIM22 is a gene in humans that fights viruses. For a reason still unknown, TRIM22 doesn’t work in patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
But lab tests have shown that when TRIM22 is turned on in cell cultures infected with HIV, the gene stops the assembly of the virus and essentially locks the virus in the cell like a prisoner in a cage. If it can’t get out of the cell, the spread of HIV is stopped in its tracks.
“This gene works particularly at preventing the virus from getting out of cells. So it can’t stop the virus from getting in (to the cell) but it can lock it in so it can’t get out,” said Barr, whose research is being published in the medical journal PloS Pathogens.
It’s not a cure, cautioned Barr. It hasn’t been tried in live patients so it’s not known if TRIM22 could be turned on in a person or what would happen, but it could be a major step towards finding a cure.
“One hope is that if you can trap the virus in the cell, other defence mechanisms in the cell will try to get rid of it,” said Barr.
Another possibility is researchers may be able to develop drugs that mimic TRIM22 to be used to block the spread of HIV or even to possibly cure it.
“If we include TRIM22 in our therapies, it can be used in combination with drugs to make them more effective at blocking and killing the virus,” said Barr.
Jakubec is hopeful this research will help in finding a cure or vaccine, but she also cautions that cure is still a long ways off.
“If something does come out that’s a preventative vaccine, we would still want people to know just how effective it is and still practice safer sex,” she said.
She noted that Alberta is seeing rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis. Even the number of HIV infections in Alberta appears to be on the rise. New infections in the province used to average 170-180 per year, but in 2006 that rose to 218.
Barr is also cautioning that this is just a step in the fight against AIDS.
“We’re really in the infancy of the research. This is the initial discovery and we need to go in and find out how the virus is interacting with TRIM22, such as does the virus have a way of killing TRIM22 so that it can survive?”
Zimbabwe: Canada Donates C$2,4m for HIV/Aids Project
Source: All Africa
Harare
THE Canadian government on Wednesday injected C$2,4 million into the Expanded Support Programme for HIV and Aids Prevention, Treatment and Care in Zimbabwe while the Conglomerate of Farm and Industry has launched an HIV programme for the workplace.
ESP, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, has 16 districts in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe National HIV and Aids Strategic Plan will also benefit from the donation.
Canadian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mrs Roxanne Dubé handed over the money to UNDP on Wednesday in Harare. UNDP will then disburse the money to ESP's 16 districts for the benefit of about 20 000 people, most of them in rural areas. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mrs Dubé hailed Zimbabweans for their efforts in to curb the incidence of HIV and Aids. "I appreciate the work being done by Zimbabweans and other stakeholders in addressing the prevalence of HIV and Aids in the country," she said.
Mrs Dubé said the donation would not only help to support the infected with drugs, prevention services, treatment and care but also the ESP.
"As partners in development, Canada is concerned with the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe. On issues of such critical humanitarian importance and for the direct benefit of the most vulnerable people, we are pleased to collaborate with the dedicated staff in both civil society and the national health system in rural and urban Zimbabwe," she said.
Ambassador Dubé said the initiative was consistent with the government of Canada's priorities to scale up universal access to HIV and Aids services reiterated at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV and Aids of 2006. National Aids Council director Dr Tapiwa Magure hailed Canada for its continued support in the national multi-sectoral response to HIV and Aids.
Meanwhile, the Conglomerate of Farms and Industry has launched a programme of HIV and Aids awareness in the workplace in Harare. CFI comprises 12 companies, among them Town and Country, Farm and City, Victoria Foods, Suncrest, Hubbard, Agrifoods as well as Dore and Pitt.
CFI group human resources director Mr Edwin Murwira said they launched the awareness programme because the rate at which people were perishing at workplaces on farms and in industry had reached alarming levels. He said they were not going to assist financially as yet because people needed to be taught first.
"We want people to know that they must abstain, use condoms or be faithful to thwart the spread of HIV and Aids in the workplace," he said.
Although Mr Murwira said the programme was the first of its kind, he expressed confidence that it would yield beneficial results. Speaking at the same workshop, National Aids Council finance director Mr Albert Manenji challenged the business community to help in HIV and Aids issues.
"NAC needs US$38 million to procure anti-retroviral drugs," he said.
Harare
THE Canadian government on Wednesday injected C$2,4 million into the Expanded Support Programme for HIV and Aids Prevention, Treatment and Care in Zimbabwe while the Conglomerate of Farm and Industry has launched an HIV programme for the workplace.
ESP, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, has 16 districts in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe National HIV and Aids Strategic Plan will also benefit from the donation.
Canadian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mrs Roxanne Dubé handed over the money to UNDP on Wednesday in Harare. UNDP will then disburse the money to ESP's 16 districts for the benefit of about 20 000 people, most of them in rural areas. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mrs Dubé hailed Zimbabweans for their efforts in to curb the incidence of HIV and Aids. "I appreciate the work being done by Zimbabweans and other stakeholders in addressing the prevalence of HIV and Aids in the country," she said.
Mrs Dubé said the donation would not only help to support the infected with drugs, prevention services, treatment and care but also the ESP.
"As partners in development, Canada is concerned with the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe. On issues of such critical humanitarian importance and for the direct benefit of the most vulnerable people, we are pleased to collaborate with the dedicated staff in both civil society and the national health system in rural and urban Zimbabwe," she said.
Ambassador Dubé said the initiative was consistent with the government of Canada's priorities to scale up universal access to HIV and Aids services reiterated at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV and Aids of 2006. National Aids Council director Dr Tapiwa Magure hailed Canada for its continued support in the national multi-sectoral response to HIV and Aids.
Meanwhile, the Conglomerate of Farms and Industry has launched a programme of HIV and Aids awareness in the workplace in Harare. CFI comprises 12 companies, among them Town and Country, Farm and City, Victoria Foods, Suncrest, Hubbard, Agrifoods as well as Dore and Pitt.
CFI group human resources director Mr Edwin Murwira said they launched the awareness programme because the rate at which people were perishing at workplaces on farms and in industry had reached alarming levels. He said they were not going to assist financially as yet because people needed to be taught first.
"We want people to know that they must abstain, use condoms or be faithful to thwart the spread of HIV and Aids in the workplace," he said.
Although Mr Murwira said the programme was the first of its kind, he expressed confidence that it would yield beneficial results. Speaking at the same workshop, National Aids Council finance director Mr Albert Manenji challenged the business community to help in HIV and Aids issues.
"NAC needs US$38 million to procure anti-retroviral drugs," he said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
