Humanized Mouse: Drug Efficacy, HIV transmission, and Latency

[Jmarksto]

This is the best article I have seen on some of the preliminary research, and potential, with the mouse with a human immune system.

http://tinyurl.com/blrx4jv

The article talks about using the mice to test HIV drug efficacy, transmission rates, and latency.  Here are a few, brief highlights - there is much more in the full article:

They surgically implanted tiny pieces of human liver and thymus tissue under the kidneys of mice that were genetically immune deficient the mice didnt have B cells and were missing thymuses, the organ that produces T cells. Then the team transplanted human hematopoietic stem cells into the mices bone marrow. In a few days, each mouse started generating an entirely new thymus.

Human lymphoid cells including T cells and B cells had populated the large and small intestines. And there they were. This was a huge surprise to everyone in the field.

By using humanized mice, scientists can search for ways to drive the virus out of latency in a living organism.

This is our charter: to cure a mouse under any circumstances and then translate that into humans.

[Common_ground]

Reading this I'm surprised they haven't found a cure yet. Humanized mice sounds like its year 3000 or something 

Joking aside, cool article, hoping for more progress.

[Jmarksto]

Reading this I'm surprised they haven't found a cure yet. Humanized mice sounds like its year 3000 or something 

Joking aside, cool article, hoping for more progress.

Here's to getting to year 3000 faster than having to wait it out...

I think they have made significant progress on this in the last year or so.  This should speed the research up quite a bit - one challenge as noted in the article is that the mice can't reproduce with human immune systems, the need to be "manufactured" individually.