Zinc Finger Proteins Put Personalized HIV Therapy Within Reach

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Inchlingblue:

--- Quote from: J220 on June 30, 2008, 01:30:58 pm ---
The researchers are planning a clinical trial in humans in which T cells from HIV patients would have their CCR5 gene deliberately knocked out. These modified T cells could then be infused back into the patients to re-establish their immune system and decrease their viral load.

--- End quote ---

Update, this article says they are starting to test this on humans already:

Trial Begins for HIV Gene Therapy
By Aaron Rowe February 3, 2009 | 4:00 am | Categories: Biotech, Medicine & Medical Procedures

Gene therapy that could immunize people against the most common type of HIV is ready to be tested on humans.

Recruiting for the trial began Tuesday, and the first people to receive the experimental treatment will be HIV patients with drug-resistance problems.

"We do have good treatments for HIV. That has been one of the most successful stories of the last 20 years in medicine," said Pablo Tebas, an infectious disease expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

"However, over time, if the medications are not taken properly, individuals develop resistance to the HIV treatments, so they tend to have more limited therapeutic options."

Since the discovery that a small portion of people who are exposed to HIV do not get infected, scientists have been working to discover the secret to those people’s resistance and how to make others resistant as well.

It turns out that most people have a gene called CCR5, which makes them vulnerable to HIV infections. The naturally resistant people have mutant CCR5 genes that inhibit HIV.

Previously, scientists found that by cutting the CCR5 gene out of white blood cells involved in the immune response known as T-cells, they could protect a tube full of human cells from the virus. The gene editing technique relies on proteins called zinc finger nucleases that can delete any gene from a living cell.

In theory, zinc finger nucleases could give that immunity to anyone.

The procedure is simple: Take some healthy T-cells out of an HIV patient, clip out their CCR5 genes, grow more of these clipped T-cells in a dish, and then put them back in the patient.

"In this first study we will re-infuse approximately 10 billion of these cells back into the participants, and we will see if it is safe and if those cells inhibit HIV replication in vivo," said Tebas. "We know they do in the test tube."

LINK:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/hivtreatment/

CLINICAL TRIAL LINK:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00842634

freewillie99:
Can you feel the love?

[attachment deleted by admin]

dadx4:
Are any of you in this trial? How's it going if you are participating, I know they are still recruiting. They are only taking 12 patients to start though.

brazilianman:
hello, I'm from Brazil and I like the forum on anti-ps is a good theory. I would like to know what the strength of the forum to ask for drug companies on research? much is spoken but not proven. vrx496? pro 140? Anybody know about this? sorry bad English.

Antibody specificities associated with neutralization breadth in plasma from HIV-1 subtype C infected blood donors

brazilianman:
??? any news? Zinc finger where? the study is stopped or moving? ???

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