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Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Research News & Studies => Topic started by: mark86 on April 27, 2013, 03:54:58 pm

Title: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mark86 on April 27, 2013, 03:54:58 pm
Uk Daily Telegraph is reporting Scientists on brink of HIV cure....http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10022664/Scientists-on-brink-of-HIV-cure.html

How true is this.? lets hope it is

Regards,
Mark86
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on April 27, 2013, 04:23:47 pm
Yo its the Danish  Panobinostat study. Results are expected in September. I would not expect too much, in other studies HDAC has failed, but  Panobinostat is  stronger than Zolinza, maybe they have more success. Time will tell.
You can read about HDAC a lot here in different threads.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01680094 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01680094)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: buginme2 on April 27, 2013, 04:26:18 pm


How true is this.? lets hope it is



Basically they are reporting on research that is just starting.  The tag line of the article makes the statement "a cure for HIV within months." 

I think that is a bit deceptive and done to make a headline to get the reader interested in the story. 

The science is sound though, there are a few researchers working on this same strategy using hdac inhibitors to try and flush out viral reservoirs and then prime the immune system using a vaccine to clear the virus.  If it works (which is a BIG IF) its more likely not going to be in months but more like years or even a decade or more. IMHO

Nonetheless it was an interesting article, here here for the Dutch.  I hope they have success in their work.  I really do.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on April 27, 2013, 05:02:24 pm
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02548/hiv-virus_2548220b.jpg)
That psychedelic illustration is straight out of The Fantastic Journey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hjiVViMuS4
 I saw this movie so many times on "The 4:30 Movie" that my visualisations of the immune system are still based on this film.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Jmarksto on April 27, 2013, 05:37:35 pm
The headline is just plain sensationalism -- for a good summary of the reactivation compounds under research right now, here is a very good paper:

http://tinyurl.com/reactivation-paper

Here is the paragraph from the paper that summarizes Panobinostat, which is mentioned in the article:

Panobinostat has recently displayed considerable potency in reactivating HIV-1 expression in latently infected cell lines and primary resting CD4+ T cells as compared with other HDACi in clinical development.67 In this study, panobinostat reactivated HIV-1 expression at concentrations as low as 8–32nM – well below the levels obtained with oral clinical dosing. Panobinostat is likely one of the most potent pan-HDAC inhibitors in clinical development and as the elimination time of panobinostat is relatively long, prolonged histone hyper acetylation can be observed 7 d after a second dose with this compound.75 This allows for dose reductions or intermittent dosing schedules to diminish the problematic thrombocytopenia seen with all HDAC inhibitors. A clinical trial to investigate the in vivo effect of panobinostat on HIV-1 expression and HIV reservoir size has been initiated by our group at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (NCT01680094). This study entails 8 week of cyclic panobinostat therapy with a primary endpoint of change from baseline in cell-associated unspliced HIV-RNA and will also provide a unique opportunity for studying the effect on host immune responses.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: tednlou2 on April 29, 2013, 12:06:55 am
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02548/hiv-virus_2548220b.jpg)
That psychedelic illustration is straight out of The Fantastic Journey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hjiVViMuS4
 I saw this movie so many times on "The 4:30 Movie" that my visualisations of the immune system are still based on this film.

Love the announcer saying, "Four men and a beautiful girl...."  I guess she couldn't be ugly.  And, she seems more like a woman to me.  And, that's Dr. Loomis, who was Michael Myers' doctor!  I never saw Fantastic Voyage.  I did see where Stewie was shrunk down to go inside Peter, in order to kill his brother. 
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on April 29, 2013, 06:39:28 am
I wonder if this is related in any way?
(Or data is being shared at least)
I'm signed up for it

http://www.questclinical.com/#!studies/cjg9

 HIV Latency Study​​ >

HIV (+) volunteers are needed to participate in a two-part research study.  The purpose of this Latency study is to harvest a quantity of white blood cells during a three-hour apheresis process.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Jmarksto on April 29, 2013, 09:41:43 am
I wonder if this is related in any way?
(Or data is being shared at least)
I'm signed up for it

http://www.questclinical.com/#!studies/cjg9

 HIV Latency Study​​ >

HIV (+) volunteers are needed to participate in a two-part research study.  The purpose of this Latency study is to harvest a quantity of white blood cells during a three-hour apheresis process.

Jaz; I don't think they are related - the Quest study indicates partnering with Gilead, whereas the Danish study is partnered with Novartis.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: OneTampa on April 29, 2013, 11:56:29 am
I also saw the story and was going to post it but I see it already here.

Interesting. So the timeline to finding a cure for HIV is "within months". Will see.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Markmt on April 29, 2013, 01:36:32 pm
At the same time the article says this...:-

“It will prove that we are heading in the right direction and demonstrate that a cure is possible. But I think it will be five years before we see a cure that can be offered on a large scale.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10022664/Scientists-on-brink-of-HIV-cure.html

Positive news never the less :)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: geobee on April 29, 2013, 02:05:03 pm
Hey JazJon --

I also took part in the study where they pull the cells out with the apheresis process.  Just a quick tip -- bring your own DVD / movie!  They've got DVDs there but the choices are a bit limited. 

Also bring something to eat for afterwards.   

I found the process a little uncomfortable because you have to lie still for a couple of hours.  Other than that it was fine. 

Still mulling the CalImmune trial. 

George
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Hellraiser on April 30, 2013, 01:18:38 am
At the same time the article says this...:-

“It will prove that we are heading in the right direction and demonstrate that a cure is possible. But I think it will be five years before we see a cure that can be offered on a large scale.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10022664/Scientists-on-brink-of-HIV-cure.html

Positive news never the less :)

That's not the reporter speaking, that is one of the scientists performing the research.  He's basically saying they have demonstrated proof of principle and now they want to perform it in a live human host and eventually if all that works they will be able to bring the cure to market for everyone in 5 years.  It's an extremely optimistic view to say the least.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on April 30, 2013, 08:43:34 am
too cool
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: bearpaws on May 01, 2013, 11:55:09 am
This is really exciting; and of course I hope it works! It seems like a simple strategy, very shock and awe! I find it concerning that not a peep was heard from mainstream media in the US. Big pharma won't like a cure; they want people on expensive mess perpetually.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: xasxas on May 02, 2013, 03:41:57 am
That's not the reporter speaking, that is one of the scientists performing the research.  He's basically saying they have demonstrated proof of principle and now they want to perform it in a live human host and eventually if all that works they will be able to bring the cure to market for everyone in 5 years.  It's an extremely optimistic view to say the least.

One thing that's sort of interesting and encouraging to me is that the primary completion date for this study was in March 2013.  So if one of the scientists associated with the project is even willing to mention the word cure at this point implies (to me) that they're seeing some reasonable preliminary success.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 02, 2013, 09:49:00 am
The Danish scientists want to show their results on a conference in Malaysia in the summer. It seems that they had some kind of success, or they would be unreliable scientists making such announcements in the press.

http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096 (http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: georgep77 on May 02, 2013, 11:56:51 am
Poor Big pharma is shaking!

                ;D
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Jmarksto on May 02, 2013, 02:23:32 pm
The Danish scientists want to show their results on a conference in Malaysia in the summer. It seems that they had some kind of success, or they would be unreliable scientists making such announcements in the press.

http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096 (http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096)

The posting on the University website is a big deal in my mind - my interpretation of  all of the press was that one reporter was being sensationlistic and that was being picked up by the rest of the press.  The fact that the University themselves is posting this lends more credibility to the claim.

Obviously the cork is still in the bottle, but perhaps we can think about when it may be appropriate to bring the bottle up from the cellar - recognizing that we may have to cancel the party too.

JM
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 02, 2013, 02:44:11 pm
The Danish scientists want to show their results on a conference in Malaysia in the summer. It seems that they had some kind of success, or they would be unreliable scientists making such announcements in the press.

http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096 (http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126096)

So far, 2013 has a lot of good potential cure news.  This and Calimune sound more promising than ever before.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: tednlou2 on May 02, 2013, 04:33:39 pm
Reading the part about success may depend on how strong and sensitive a person's immune system got me thinking about something I've thought about previously.  Say some cure of some kind is found, but it doesn't work on everyone.  I think this will lead to more depression, as well as feelings of resentment.  And, what if some cure works on 60% of patients, for example.  That would change access to doctors and medications I would think.  I know it's putting the cart way before the horse, but many posts here do that.  My point is I hope for any cure, but hope it works for everyone. 
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: weasel on May 02, 2013, 09:29:48 pm

  I can only hope this is something good !

                                               Weasel

   P.S. : I'm over having HIV    :'(
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: xasxas on May 02, 2013, 11:39:56 pm
Reading the part about success may depend on how strong and sensitive a person's immune system got me thinking about something I've thought about previously.  Say some cure of some kind is found, but it doesn't work on everyone.  I think this will lead to more depression, as well as feelings of resentment.  And, what if some cure works on 60% of patients, for example.  That would change access to doctors and medications I would think.  I know it's putting the cart way before the horse, but many posts here do that.  My point is I hope for any cure, but hope it works for everyone.

That's a valid and thoughtful concern but I tend to think that if they're able to come up with a cure that's initially effective for only a part of the population infected, then it would only be a matter of time before it's refined to make it effective for everyone.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: leatherman on May 03, 2013, 12:09:42 am
That would change access to doctors and medications I would think.
that's my fear, as an HIV+ person, of them finding a vaccine  :o
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on May 03, 2013, 12:19:02 am
Reading the part about success may depend on how strong and sensitive a person's immune system got me thinking about something I've thought about previously.  Say some cure of some kind is found, but it doesn't work on everyone.  I think this will lead to more depression, as well as feelings of resentment.  And, what if some cure works on 60% of patients, for example.  That would change access to doctors and medications I would think.  I know it's putting the cart way before the horse, but many posts here do that.  My point is I hope for any cure, but hope it works for everyone.

Sure we all hope it works for everyone.  But 60% cure rate would be fantastic news too, right? 
If there was some sort of treatment that could cure some HIV+ people and it wouldn't work for my own bug, I would be disappointed.  Maybe I would get depressed.... I don't know.  I would be happy for the cured! 

I don't follow the point about the change to access.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: leatherman on May 03, 2013, 12:40:50 am
I don't follow the point about the change to access.
when some people are cured, or non-infected people are vaccinated, funding and access will decrease in proportion to the need. It'll be tough for those who will still need meds and healthcare as resources will be withdrawn and fewer people will be concerned about the remaining few.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 03, 2013, 12:47:29 am
when some people are cured, or non-infected people are vaccinated, funding and access will decrease in proportion to the need. It'll be tough for those who will still need meds and healthcare as resources will be withdrawn and fewer people will be concerned about the remaining few.

This prediction ties into the thread I just opened up asking what the world would be like after HIV is "cured"
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=48458.0
Thoughts of the future definitely tickles my imagination.   "cure" vs "functional cure" vs "vaccine only".
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: freaky_dream on May 03, 2013, 01:54:28 am
Reading the part about success may depend on how strong and sensitive a person's immune system got me thinking about something I've thought about previously.  Say some cure of some kind is found, but it doesn't work on everyone.  I think this will lead to more depression, as well as feelings of resentment.  And, what if some cure works on 60% of patients, for example.  That would change access to doctors and medications I would think.  I know it's putting the cart way before the horse, but many posts here do that.  My point is I hope for any cure, but hope it works for everyone.

Good point, but they could develop another therapy that could be taken concurrently thus having synergistic properties. For example using Interferon to increase a persons immune system response.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: buginme2 on May 03, 2013, 02:37:43 am
Here is what Paul Sax has to say about this article:



How to Interpret Medical Breakthroughs in the Mainstream Media

Paul Sax • May 2nd, 2013
Categories: Health Care, HIV, Infectious Diseases, Research
 (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
There it is, right in your daily paper, on your tablet or computer screen, or wherever you get your news today — a headline about a great medical breakthrough everyone’s been waiting for:

Scientists on brink of HIV cure
Researchers believe that there will be a breakthrough in finding a cure for HIV “within months”
Yes, I read this exact headline recently. Here’s the full article, published in the English newspaper the Daily Telegraph. It details how some Danish researchers have figured out a way for “the HIV virus to be stripped from human DNA and destroyed permanently by the immune system.”

Furthermore, they are “expecting results that will show that finding a mass-distributable and affordable cure to HIV is possible.”

By all means, go ahead and read the full piece; you’ve got 20 free reads on the Telegraph website. As a treat, there’s a colorful stock photo too, showing red blood cells floating through some blood vessels, along with a few HIV virions glowing bright green — it’s very Fantastic Voyage-esque, minus Raquel Welch in her scuba gear.

But return here for a moment, please. I’m going to recommend three simple steps to getting the most from this — and other medical breakthroughs — in the mainstream media.

Step 1:  Be a skeptic.  As exciting as curing HIV would be, and no matter how much you’d like this to happen, just think for a moment about the plausibility of this story. Are scientists really on the “brink” of curing HIV? If so, why is this only appearing in the U.K. Telegraph? Trust me, this brink-of-cure has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed medical journals or at scientific meetings. And wouldn’t you expect this kind of advance, if real, to show up everywhere in media land?  Fire up that Google machine, and see what you can find about it elsewhere — lo, it’s the great following herd, all stampeding after that same U.K. Telegraph story. And importantly, here’s a New York Times piece on the very same general subject — HIV cure — and they don’t even mention these Danish researchers. Sure, the Times misses some stories, but it’s got some pretty impressive Health and Science sections — could they miss this, researchers ON THE BRINK OF CURING HIV, no less? I think not. So perhaps Mr. U.K. Telegraph Science Reporter is exaggerating a bit, for the sake of his story, of course.

Step 2:  Don’t be a complete snob — give the story a chance.  This is the other side of that same coin. Sure, it’s been a challenge curing HIV, but we’ve got that Berlin patient (now living in Las Vegas, by the way) — he’s cured. And the baby from Mississippi, he/she is cured (sort of). Plus, a whole army of smart HIV researchers actively tackling the problem as we speak. In fact, this very same approach cited by the Danish researchers — stimulating the HIV reservoir with an HDAC inhibitor — is a leading candidate for a viable cure strategy; it’s being looked at by many groups. Hey, why can’t Good Ol’ Ole Søgaard and his team be the first to succeed? The extra funding provided by the Danish government — 12 million Danish kroner! — is further evidence of the soundness of Professor Søgaard’s approach.

Step 3:  After all that, land someplace between Steps 1 and 2.  Take a deep breath. Read the full piece.
Discard the fluff: Brink of cure; 12 million Danish kroner; expect a cure to be available in months; you can distribute it to millions; it’s affordable, too.
Focus on the facts:  Some Danish researchers have some funding to investigate a potentially promising HIV cure strategy; they are testing it in a small number of people; some European scientists may soon be collaborating; we have no actual results yet to report.

After these three steps, all these medical breakthroughs — on HIV, cancer, Alzheimer’s, weight loss, male-pattern baldness, you-name-it — make a lot more sense.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 03, 2013, 02:45:41 am
That's a great breakdown, thanks for sharing as usual.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 03, 2013, 04:12:23 am
In 8 weeks we will know the results on IAS 2013. If Panobinostat is not enough, there is still another potent HDAC-I in research from Gilead. They test Romidepsin together with GS-9620 (TLR7 Agonist). Maybe a combo of these 3 drugs will reach the aim in the far future. Time will tell.

http://www.isheid.com/presentations/vendredi/12-30/geleziunas/Geleziunas.pdf (http://www.isheid.com/presentations/vendredi/12-30/geleziunas/Geleziunas.pdf)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 03, 2013, 04:35:21 am
In 8 weeks we will know the results on IAS 2013. If Panobinostat is not enough, there is still another potent HDAC-I in research from Gilead. They test Romidepsin together with GS-9620 (TLR7 Agonist). Maybe a combo of these 3 drugs will reach the aim in the far future. Time will tell.

http://www.isheid.com/presentations/vendredi/12-30/geleziunas/Geleziunas.pdf (http://www.isheid.com/presentations/vendredi/12-30/geleziunas/Geleziunas.pdf)

Interesting, is HDAC-I what I'm potentially helping out with? (or one of those others, who knows I guess)  Again,(posted earlier) I'm signed up for the Gilead HIV Latency Study​​.  I'm told there is no benefit to me, they just want to run external tests on my blood.   I go in for apheresis in 2 weeks.  Hopefully they continue making progress.

http://www.questclinical.com/#!studies/cjg9
"Background
HIV (+) volunteers are needed to participate in a two-part research study.  The purpose of this Latency study is to harvest a quantity of white blood cells during a three-hour apheresis process."
 
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on May 03, 2013, 08:14:59 am
when some people are cured, or non-infected people are vaccinated, funding and access will decrease in proportion to the need. It'll be tough for those who will still need meds and healthcare as resources will be withdrawn and fewer people will be concerned about the remaining few.
Ok this is being discussed simultaneously in other threads it seems. I understand the logic but I do think this is a US based fear.  HIV care seems to have been a "bonus" type funding in the USA, its "exceptionally" funded and there is some reluctance and resentment about that funding and constant fear by HIV+ people about it. Its amazing the whole system got set up, but it comes with a certain mindset.  Precarity.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: sensual1973 on May 03, 2013, 09:17:12 am
lets not go off topic here!
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 03, 2013, 11:20:21 am
03-05-2013
Correction to HIV story

"During the past week a story originating in the Telegraph entitled "Scientists on brink of HIV cure" has been published in other medias.

The article's title and subtitle suggests that a cure for HIV is expected in months. But this is not the case, according to the Danish researchers from Aarhus University Hospital whose work was cited in the Telegraph.

- We are not on the brink of an HIV cure, says Dr. Ole Søgaard from Aarhus University Hospital.
- We have an exciting study in which a potential anti-HIV latency reversing agent is tested in persons with HIV. We are making good progress, but there is still a long way to go."

The authors state that they regret if anyone got the impression from reading the article that there may be a cure for HIV in the immediate future. Like many others, the researchers believe that a cure for HIV is an achievable goal, but most likely it will take many years, numerous basic science discoveries, and several phase 1/2 trials before a HIV cure may actually be reached. "

http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126241 (http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126241)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: leatherman on May 03, 2013, 11:21:09 am
Ok this is being discussed simultaneously in other threads it seems. I understand the logic but I do think this is a US based fear.  HIV care seems to have been a "bonus" type funding in the USA, its "exceptionally" funded and there is some reluctance and resentment about that funding and constant fear by HIV+ people about it. Its amazing the whole system got set up, but it comes with a certain mindset.  Precarity.
yes, that other thread just started and after responsing  to you here, we probably ought to take any more on this subject over there.  ;) :D

It is an amazing system and it only got funded because pozzies and their friends acted up and fought for it. Other illnesses/drugs don't have this kind of protection/intervention because those affected by those diseases never fought for their own adequate care. Of course, we were dying so had nothing to lose and everything to gain by fighting for extraordinary funding. See "How to Survive a Plague". The American healthcare system is a crazy mess and many HIV positive people are often living on a knife's edge of losing/keeping access to ARVs.

lets not go off topic here!
Focus on the facts:  Some Danish researchers have some funding to investigate a potentially promising HIV cure strategy; they are testing it in a small number of people; some European scientists may soon be collaborating; we have no actual results yet to report.
don't worry Sensual, there'll be plenty of time to talk about this "cure". ;)  ;D If it really is the cure, there's still a long time (ie years) to go before it reaches market
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 04, 2013, 05:13:25 pm
JazJon- You are a cool guy:) I hope You have success  with Your CalImmune trial. I would be too scared to do this:).
You are also in the Gilead trial? I hope they try Romidepsin. It is a 10.000 fold more potent Histone deacetylases-inhibitor than SAHA or Panobinostat. If it does'nt cure HIV, then nothing will do it.
I really wonder why Gilead invests so much money and time to find a cure. They have so much to lose if a cure is found.They earn billions with Truvada and Co.. I don't understand them. :)

http://www.catie.ca/en/treatmentupdate/treatmentupdate-196/hiv-cure-research/promise-romidepsin (http://www.catie.ca/en/treatmentupdate/treatmentupdate-196/hiv-cure-research/promise-romidepsin)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 04, 2013, 05:42:30 pm
I hope You have success  with Your CalImmune trial. I would be too scared to do this:).
You are also in the Gilead trial? I hope they try Romidepsin. It is a 10.000 fold more potent Histone deacetylases-inhibitor than SAHA or Panobinostat. If it does'nt cure HIV, then nothing will do it.
I really wonder why Gilead invests so much money and time to find a cure. They have so much to lose if a cure is found.They earn billions with Truvada and Co.. I don't understand them. :)

http://www.catie.ca/en/treatmentupdate/treatmentupdate-196/hiv-cure-research/promise-romidepsin (http://www.catie.ca/en/treatmentupdate/treatmentupdate-196/hiv-cure-research/promise-romidepsin)

Yup! With so few initial Calimmune slots, I wanted to continue proving I'm the ideal patient for Calimmune by doing the Gilead Latency study. (and show I can handle aphereses with flying colors)   My original interest from the beginning was to be part of a cutting edge Stem Cell/Gene Therapy treatment.  I was originally interested in the Zinc finger approach, but the Calimmune research has swayed my vote of confidence their way.   2013/2014 could be big news for everyone, only time will tell.    If Calimmune ends up not working,  I'm pretty sure it will still "help" boost the immune system for the long run.   

This whole latency wake-up and kill all HIV approach sounds great too. (and I'll be signed up! pending my previous trials don't disqualify me)    I guess that's the only thing I'm scared of is being disqualified for "the one" treatment that ends up working because of the previous one I tried disqualifying me.   I'm not really scared, just thinking out-loud here with the what if game.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 04, 2013, 06:03:28 pm
Your CalImmune will be a great success. There is no doubt anymore. It is well tested and ready for mass use soon.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: buginme2 on May 04, 2013, 11:17:51 pm
Your CalImmune will be a great success. There is no doubt anymore. It is well tested and ready for mass use soon.

Your kidding right?

Jeeze people.   I've got a bridge for sale if anyone is interested! Going fast! Hurry! You too can be a bridge owner but you have to act soon.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 04, 2013, 11:34:00 pm
-"There is no doubt anymore"
&
-"It is well tested and ready for mass use soon."

Um yeah, that's a bit over the top, but I like the optimism !

I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm treating it as an experiment and happy either way it goes just knowing I'm helping advance science.   Having said that, I have no problem being a poster boy for a success story interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper though in 2016 lol.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: freewillie99 on May 05, 2013, 08:38:43 am
Your CalImmune will be a great success. There is no doubt anymore. It is well tested and ready for mass use soon.

No hyperbole there.

That said though, don't forget that the Godfather of this approach / company is Dr. David Baltimore, a guy who won the Nobel prize for his work on reverse transcriptase and retroviruses.  He's been talking about gene therapy to cure HIV for many years and this is the culmination of decades of research.  There's likely a fair chance he knows what he's doing.   
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on May 05, 2013, 10:26:36 am
Ok let's stay cautious and not too optimistic. It could give false hopes for people who didn't follow the research for the last decade.
Everything is only theoretical and at early stage and can fail, of course.
I wish a nice summer, it has finally arrived here :)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Growler on May 06, 2013, 06:16:39 pm
http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126241
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: JazJon on May 06, 2013, 06:33:41 pm
http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126241

Matts posted this above already.
See: Reply #33 on: May 03, 2013, 08:20:21 AM
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: buginme2 on May 06, 2013, 07:19:58 pm
http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=126241

Isn't it funny how the report of the cure gets picked up and repeated s hundred times.  The correction?  -let's see ifanyone reports it.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: sensual1973 on May 07, 2013, 04:46:10 pm
How can the telegraph makes such a herrendous mistake!
Title: Another possible cure
Post by: atlanta05 on May 08, 2013, 07:09:19 am
http://www.examiner.com/article/hiv-may-be-cured-within-months-scientists-on-brink-of-aids-vaccine

This kind of story often inspires emotive replies, so I ask...please think about the wording and grammar of this story, about what they are actually saying here.

It seems like a step in the right direction, although no conclusive proof yet.
Title: Re: Another possible cure
Post by: leatherman on May 08, 2013, 10:46:38 am
so I ask...please think about the wording and grammar of this story, about what they are actually saying here.
notice the words and grammar, like how the title of that article ("HIV may be curable 'within months': Scientists on brink of AIDS vaccine") doesn't seem to understand the difference between the words "cure" and "vaccine"?? LOL Or how this article's title says "within months" when the article they link to says "five years"?? I guess the single quote marks around "within months" lets us know the writer of this article knows he wrote a lie and jazzed up the title to get more readers. LOL
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: jkinatl2 on May 08, 2013, 06:13:28 pm
Doesn't take a lot of bait to attract the slow-swimming fish, does it?

Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on May 09, 2013, 07:37:27 am
Shoddy journalism is rampant on EVERY subject.  HIV science doesn't have a lock on this.
If newspapers are getting increasing shares of their revenues from online editions, and from how many clicks, headline Armageddon ahead, a meltdown of any relation to reality.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/bag-men-ny-post-lawsuit-143522063.html
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Dr.Strangelove on May 09, 2013, 03:07:53 pm
That is a good point though. We HIV people don't have a monopoly on sloppy reporting...
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: atlanta05 on May 09, 2013, 04:11:19 pm
I'm optimistic. Cycnicism isn't going to help me or my life.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Miss Philicia on May 09, 2013, 04:51:30 pm
There really is nothing quite like the Club for Junior Scientists on internet forums.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: freaky_dream on May 09, 2013, 11:07:19 pm
What do you expect from a media that doesn't know the difference between HIV and AIDS. Every headline that comes out on HIV research almost always uses AIDS rather then the corrrect HIV.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: jkinatl2 on May 15, 2013, 01:14:01 pm
There really is nothing quite like the Club for Junior Scientists on internet forums.

Please to read the disclaimer on the POZ news page:

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/misleading_reports_1667_23916.shtml

I have great optimism for the future. I also think that a newly diagnosed person who breathlessly lurches from news article to news article looking for t "cure" instead of coming to terms with the illness s/he is likely to live with for a decade or more (perhaps a lifetime) is only postponing the process by which s/he will be able to handle the difficulties that surround the diagnosis and treatment of HIV.

That's not optimism, it's delusion.

Skepticism isn't cynicism.

Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: mecch on May 15, 2013, 02:45:05 pm
Please to read the disclaimer on the POZ news page:

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/misleading_reports_1667_23916.shtml

I have great optimism for the future. I also think that a newly diagnosed person who breathlessly lurches from news article to news article looking for t "cure" instead of coming to terms with the illness s/he is likely to live with for a decade or more (perhaps a lifetime) is only postponing the process by which s/he will be able to handle the difficulties that surround the diagnosis and treatment of HIV.

That's not optimism, it's delusion.

Skepticism isn't cynicism.

I agree.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: geobee on May 22, 2013, 01:42:02 pm
Here's a good analysis of the story and actual state of the science/research. Well written, too. 

By Richard Jefferys, Project Coordinator at Treatment Action Group (TAG)

http://tagbasicscienceproject.typepad.com/tags_basic_science_vaccin/2013/04/reviewing-strategies-for-draining-hiv-reservoirs.html
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Dr.Strangelove on May 22, 2013, 07:03:02 pm
Yes, great article.
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on July 02, 2013, 10:41:46 am
There were some preliminary results in Kuala Lumpur. It seems that they were able to wake up a decent amount of latent cells. But it is still too early to say something definitive.

"Hidden HIV virus can be forced out of hiding

Danish researchers have taken a small step towards a cure against HIV.

Preliminary results from a clinical study by HIV researchers from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark confirm the hypothesis that a new drug can reactivate latent HIV in humans. The results were presented today to other international researchers at the 'HIV Cure Symposium' in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

When HIV penetrates the body, it integrates into the DNA of certain immune cells and enters a resting state. In this resting state, cells carrying HIV in their genome are unrecognisable to the immune system. Antiretroviral medicine effectively suppresses virus production and thus, HIV disease progression, but currently there is no treatment that can remove the latent HIV hidden in these cells.

A group of researchers from Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University has used a drug called panobinostat (LBH589) - a so-called HDAC inhibitor - which was previously shown to activate hidden HIV virus in laboratory tests. In theory this means that it will be easier for the immune system to trace and fight the cells hiding the virus.

Now researchers have taken a further step. During treatment of 15 Danish HIV-infected patients with panobinostat (LBH589), an increase in HIV in the blood has been measured. This means that the researchers have successfully forced the immune cells carrying HIV out of their resting state, which is a prerequisite for allowing the immune system to identify and eliminate these cells. None of the patients have experienced serious side effects. Yet, the researchers urge to interpret the results with caution.

- It has never previously been seen that HDAC inhibitors can force hidden virus out of otherwise inactive immune cells to an extent where this can be measured in the blood in persons infected with HIV. Therefore, these are groundbreaking results. However, it is important to stress that we are not close to a cure against HIV, but we have taken a small step further towards a cure. The next challenge is whether the patients' immune system can identify the cells with virus and kill them, says Head of Research Martin Tolstrup, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

Facts
• The study is made in collaboration with specialists in Melbourne, Boston, Sydney and Colorado; the study is conducted at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.
• Globally, 33 million people are infected with HIV.
• The first significant results involving 15 HIV patients at Aarhus University Hospital show that HIV virus can be activated by panobinostat (LBH589), a so-called HDAC inhibitor, originally developed for cancer treatment.
• The Danish Council for Strategic Research – the Individuals. Disease and Society programme – has supported the project with DKK 12 million. The American organisation amfAR – the Foundation for AIDS Research – and the Danish AIDS Fondet have also supported the study. "

http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=128307 (http://www.en.auh.dk/news+and+media/news+archive/shownews?showNews=128307)

and the same in the Yellow Press :)

http://scandasia.com/danish-breakthrough-in-the-fight-against-hiv-revealed-in-malaysia/ (http://scandasia.com/danish-breakthrough-in-the-fight-against-hiv-revealed-in-malaysia/)
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Cosmicdancer on July 02, 2013, 01:55:18 pm
- "It has never previously been seen that HDAC inhibitors can force hidden virus out of otherwise inactive immune cells to an extent where this can be measured in the blood in persons infected with HIV. Therefore, these are groundbreaking results. However, it is important to stress that we are not close to a cure against HIV, but we have taken a small step further towards a cure. The next challenge is whether the patients' immune system can identify the cells with virus and kill them, says Head of Research Martin Tolstrup, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital."

It's not clear why they're saying the next challenge is whether the patient's immune system can identify the cells with virus and kill them.  I thought it's understood that the immune system is not very effective at killing HIV and that we need to rely on ARVs to do that.  Aren't the 15 people in this trial on ARVs which are keeping them undetectable?  Does this mean they are seeing blips in their viral load?  The reporting is really unclear.  Hopefully some better written articles will be coming out. 

Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: Matts on July 02, 2013, 02:32:42 pm
I think clinicaltrials.gov answers these questions:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01680094 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01680094)

If I understand it correctly the transcription in the latently infected cells is measured through unspliced HIV-RNA and  the chances in the latent pool through proviral HIV-DNA per 10⁶ CD4+ T-cells or so..

The ART free period should start now,I think that we will know in 3 months if it was a success or another failure.

"Primary Outcome Measures:

    Change from baseline in HIV transcription in latently infected CD4+ T-cells as measured by copies of unspliced HIV-RNA in the CD4+ T-cells of HIV-infected patients on suppressive HAART [ Time Frame: Day 1 (before study drug and 2 hours after first dose), Day 2, 5, 10, 15, 24, 29, 38, 43, 52 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]


Secondary Outcome Measures:

    Change from baseline in the size of the latent HIV-reservoir as measured by copies of proviral HIV-DNA per 10⁶ CD4+ T-cells [ Time Frame: 12 and 32 weeks after initiation of study treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Change from baseline in the frequency of cells latently infected with replication competent HIV expressed as infectious units per million (IUPM) [ Time Frame: 12 weeks after initiation of study treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
   
    Plasma HIV-RNA as measured by the single copy assay [ Time Frame: Day 1 (before study drug and 2 hours after first dose), Day 2, 5, 10, 15, 24, 29, 38, 43, 52, 84, 224 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    During an optional HAART-interruption study (if performed, see below): 1) Time to viremia >1000 copies/ml; 2) Time to meet criteria to restart HAART [ Time Frame: To be performed upon completion of 32 weeks follow-up based on the below specified criteria ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

    Upon completion of the study, subjects may be invited to participate in an additional observational study in which HAART will be interrupted to evaluate the effect of study treatment on virological control. Enrolment into this study is optional and conditioned by the following criteria pertaining to the effect of study treatment on the latent HIV-1 reservoir:
        Significant increase in unspliced HIV-RNA during in accordance with the primary endpoint measure
        Profound reduction in reservoir size indicated by >75% decrease in total HIV-DNA/106 CD4+ T-cells or total HIV-DNA below the limit of detection
(defined as 5 copies/106 CD4+ T-cells) at week 36
        CD4+ T-cell count >500/mm3
Title: Re: UK paper reporting Scientists on brink of HIV Cure-
Post by: RobbyR on July 03, 2013, 11:38:37 am
Hopefully if there is something to this, they can find a way to trick the body and clear the HIV from the blood without having to have a bone marrow transplant, obviously everyone with HIV can't do something that extreme, but maybe it is the start of promising research into drugs that don't merely keep the virus at bay, but actually CURE it once and for all! I do think we have reason to hope more now than in many years past!