Danish researchers believe they are on the verge of some big news in the battle against HIV, Business Insider reports:
Danish scientists are expecting results that will show that “finding a mass-distributable and affordable cure to HIV is possible.” They are conducting clinical trials to test a “novel strategy” in which the HIV virus is stripped from human DNA and destroyed permanently by the immune system.
Human trials are currently underway which have proven successful in lab tests:
The technique involves releasing the HIV virus from “reservoirs” it forms in DNA cells, and bringing it to the surface of the cells. Once it comes to the surface, the body's natural immune system can kill the virus through being boosted by a “vaccine.”
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Dr. Ole Søgaard, a senior researcher at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, who is leading the study said: “I am almost certain that we will be successful in releasing the reservoirs of HIV. The challenge will be getting the patients' immune system to recognise the virus and destroy it. This depends on the strength and sensitivity of individual immune systems.”
Fifteen patients are currently taking part in the trials, and if they are found to have successfully been cured of HIV, the “cure” will be tested on a wider scale.
