Hopes for new anti-HIV drugs involving natural host defence

BBC reports that scientists have discovered that cells use a previously unknown mechanism to fight off HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. The machanism involves 2 proteins that normally help repair cellular DNA. These proteins were found to destroy DNA made by HIV. The virus requires this DNA to survive inside the cell.

This has raised hopes of a breakthrough that could lead to treatments to which the virus might be less able to adapt. Current treatment of HIV infection uses combinations of drugs that target the virus itself, blocking its ability to reproduce and spread. They have proved to be very effective, but there are concerns that HIV may develop resistance to the drugs.

This study from Ohio State University study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead researcher Professor Richard Fishel said: "Our findings identify a new potential drug target, one that involves a natural host defence. HIV treatments that target cellular components should be far less likely to develop resistance."

Investigations are at a preliminary stage and it take years for anything useful to come out of this

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