How antibody treatment led to lasting HIV-like virus remission
In October 2016, researchers reported that they had achieved sustained SIV remission in monkeys using a monkey antibody similar to the human drug vedolizumab , which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The mechanism behind this observation has been unclear, but a new report presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle provides clues. Scientists have known that alpha-4 beta-7 integrin is a gut-homing receptor present at high levels on the immune-system cells that HIV and SIV preferentially infect. In the new study, scientists found that maturing HIV and SIV particles acquire alpha-4 beta-7 as they emerge from an infected cell, presenting researchers with a new target for HIV prevention and treatment and shedding light on how HIV disease develops. "We expected the antibody to attack alpha-4 beta-7 on immune cells and reduce their movement to the gut, where HI...