(A Pop) In(to) Oa(sis)

Currently, AIDS is controlled with drug therapy that targets the actively-replicating virus, however, these drugs aren't able to target the latent HIV hiding in the cell reservoirs. The latent HIV is able to become active and continue to infect the person with the disease, thereby keeping the virus inside them forever. The March 2017 discovery of a protein marker on HIV reservoir cells led to many scientists searching for a way to get ahead of the deadly and clever virus.

Today, researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan have developed a new method to eradicate HIV in viral reservoir cells, named "Lock-in and apoptosis" (Figure 1). 

Figure 1. "L-HIPPO is carried into a cell, with the help of the carrier α-CDE, where it binds strongly to the HIV protein Pr55Gag. This locks HIV virus inside the cell so that it cannot escape via viral budding. The virus is eventually destroyed through apoptosis. Credit: Mikako Fujita"(1)

Using the synthesized compound Heptanoylphosphatidyl L-Inositol Pentakisphophate (or L-Hippo) to bind strongly to the HIV protein PR55Gag, they were able to suppress viral budding. By suppressing viral budding, the researchers were able to trap the HIV virus in the cell and allow for the cell to undergo apoptosis (natural cell death). Associate Professor Mikako Fujita has stated that the approach is not yet available to HIV patients because the research team has to conduct further research on combining the drug therapy that currently exists with this "Lock-in and apoptosis" approach to lead to complete recovery from HIV. Hopefully, this discovery can lead us to an oasis where HIV is finally eradicated!

-Meley Gebresellassie

Sources: 

(1) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-10-method-cells-infected-aids-virus.html

(2) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-09129-w