New HIV treatment

Israeli scientists find new HIV treatment

English.news.cn   2010-09-05 21:54:16

JERUSALEM, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli medical researchers in Jerusalem have recently developed a new treatment for HIV infections which may lead to a breakthrough in treating the AIDS virus.

The new treatment wipes out infected cells without affecting neighboring healthy ones, according to a report in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed British journal "AIDS Research and Therapy."

Peptides, unique short protein segments developed by the researchers, can interfere with replication and, at the same time, overwhelm the infected cell, triggering its self-destruction, local Ha'aretz newspaper reported.

"It is our view that the results described in this work suggest a novel approach to specifically promote death of HIV-1 infected cells and thus may eventually be developed into a new and general anti-viral therapy," the researchers said in the British journal.

"The usual medications kill the virus that has entered the body during infection and the (peptide) treatment allows cells infected with the genetic load of the virus to be killed," they added.

Although the researchers have registered an Israeli patent, the treatment must still go through animals and humans trials, Ha' aretz said. (Enmglishnews.xinhuanet.com)

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