Immunity to HIV? It鈥檚 possible!?

Toronto: New Canadian research has found that a particular gene in the human system can check the spread of HIV, raising hopes for a cure for AIDS.

Stephen Barr of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who is behind the find, told IANS that his research, combined with a possible vaccine, could stop the spread of the disease in the foreseeable future.

"Yes, there is definitely hope for AIDS patients. But we are at the initial stages. It could take years, possibly 10, to find out if this works," he said.

Barr said during his research on the TRIM22 gene that fights viruses in the body he found that this particular gene was not active in the HIV patients.

"There are hundreds of genes which get triggered as part of our immune system when viruses attack. But in the case of HIV patients, this gene didn't get turned on. I don't why," he said.

"But when during lab tests this gene was turned on in cells infected with the HIV virus,

we found out that it checked the growth of the virus," he said.

In fact, the gene helped get the deadly HIV virus locked inside the cells, thus checking its spread, he added.

However, he warned that the gene was triggered only in lab conditions. It was yet to be tested in HIV patients whether it could be turned on.

"If it happens, we can possibly say this gene is a cure for AIDS," he said.

He said money was needed for speeding up the research.

"As international organisations have funded search for a vaccine, we also need funds for our work as we take a closer look at how this gene works in HIV patients," said Barr, who started his research at the University of Pennsylvania three years ago before moving to the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

what"s your opinion about this report ?

what does expert on yahoo think of it ?

There have been occasional reports over the years of people who seem to be immune, but researching these claims are ethically impossible.

It's an interesting article but any vaccine or cure from this reseach will be years away and the scientists sound like there's a lot of work to be done. It may come to nothing, as so many 'promising' drugs have in the past. They have to find out how to manipulate the gene safely in the body, sort out a vaccine that will combine with it ok, and look at any long term implications. The HIV virus is good at becoming resistant to treatment - they will need to consider this too.

Sometimes they make this kind of announcement to get more funding...

If their reseach does help, then fantastic, but there is a long way to go before we will see any benefit to patients.

There was a person in Africa who despite repeated exposure could not catch it! They found something different in hima nad such things may be the route to a cure or immunization.

yes its called chastity

Yes, it's possible. Very possible. I'm willing to take a live virus to prove the theory.