A research team in the United States reported that they have developed a treatment that can protect monkeys from monkey HIV (SHIV) infection for up to 6 months with a single injection. This research is very important to prevent the spread of AIDS among high-risk groups. Passive immunization against hepatitis can protect people for months before getting an effective vaccine. Previous studies have shown that if animals acquire HIV-1 virus antibodies within 1-2 days after exposure to high doses of the virus, they may also show the ability to block viral infection. However, the long-term efficacy of this passive immunotherapy has not been experimentally confirmed. In a new study, Malcolm A. Martin of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and his colleagues can solve this problem and observe whether passive immunotherapy similar to hepatitis A can continue Fight against HIV infection.
Researchers have published a paper on the Nature website that simulates how humans can be infected with HIV in a control group of nine rhesus monkeys. The average time to detect infection is 3 weeks. Next, three different antibodies were injected into three groups of six animals, and they were exposed to the virus for one week. It was found that the virus infection time of all antibody groups was delayed. The longest protection period is 23 weeks. The protection period is directly related to antibody strength and half-life. They also found that by introducing mutations in amino acids, the half-life of the weakest antibody can be extended. Researchers believe that this antibody can improve the overall ability to prevent the spread of drug-resistant HIV-1 strains and provide evidence for the concept of HIV-1 virus prevention and treatment. doing. However, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of this therapy in humans and whether it can replace the HIV-1 vaccine.