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Economic Times
4 days ago
- Economic Times
Promising HIV cure could be achieved through children: Decade long tests reveal
Cure for HIV emerges in children with early antiretroviral treatment New evidence from global HIV research suggests that the first widespread cure for HIV may be possible in children who receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) early in life. Pediatrician and immunologist Philip Goulder from the University of Oxford, working with researchers in South Africa, found that a small subset of HIV-infected infants treated soon after birth can suppress the virus to undetectable levels and maintain remission without ongoing medication for extended periods. After tracking several hundred children infected through mother-to-child transmission, Goulder's team was astonished to find five children who had stopped ART yet showed no viral rebound even after months off medicine, defying the typical two to three weeks it takes for HIV to return when treatment is interrupted. One child maintained remission for an unprecedented 17 months. These children's immune systems appear uniquely capable of controlling HIV independently, a phenomenon not seen in adults despite decades of research. According to Alfredo Tagarro, a pediatrician at the Infanta Sofia University Hospital in Madrid, children living with HIV have often been overlooked in the effort to develop treatments that can achieve permanent remission. Since 2007, about 10 adults are believed to have been cured of HIV through stem cell transplants intended to treat life-threatening blood cancers. While these procedures successfully eradicated the virus, their complexity and significant risks—including several patient deaths—make them an impractical approach for targeting HIV specifically. At the 2025 International AIDS Society conference in Kigali, additional data showed approximately 5% of HIV-positive children initiating ART within six months of birth could reduce the viral reservoir—genetic material of the virus hidden in cells—to negligible levels. Pediatric experts attribute children's more dynamic immune systems and fewer health complications as factors that may enable this early cure. Mark Cotton of the University of Stellenbosch emphasized children's suitability for curative therapies compared to adults with comorbidities. Building on these insights, Goulder has launched a new study involving 19 South African children who have suppressed HIV reservoirs under ART. He plans to carefully discontinue treatment and monitor how many keep the virus suppressed long-term. Early results show six children maintaining remission for more than 18 months without drugs. Boys may have an immunological advantage in controlling HIV due to innate immune system experimental treatments are also being explored in children, including gene therapy designed to make muscle cells continuously produce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). This one-time therapy could protect infants in high-prevalence regions by preventing HIV transmission from birth or breastfeeding. Research in newborn monkeys highlights a critical early window post-birth when gene therapy is most effective, potentially revolutionizing pediatric HIV care in resource-limited recent funding setbacks, researchers remain optimistic. Combining ART with bNAbs, vaccines, and gene therapies may jointly corner and eliminate the virus, similar to successful pediatric leukemia treatments. While children represent a minority of global HIV cases, a cure in this group could provide the blueprint for universal HIV eradication global impact could be profound: about 1.7 million children worldwide live with HIV, many in low-income countries where lifelong ART adherence is challenging. An effective cure would drastically reduce the health and social burdens of pediatric HIV and pave the way for transforming HIV from a chronic condition into a curable breakthrough marks a historic turning point in the decades-long fight against HIV, with children potentially leading the route to a cure and offering hope for millions affected worldwide.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
How a new project plans to curb rhino poaching through radioactive isotope injections
A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign on Thursday (July 31) with a unique approach – injecting radioactive isotopes into rhino horns. It claimed that the method is harmless for the rhinos and allows customs agents to detect trafficked horns. After six years of intense research and testing, the University of the Witwatersrand, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), formally launched the Rhisotope Project. Five rhinos were administered radioactive isotope injections in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. The university hopes the initiative will mark the start of mass treatment of South Africa's declining rhino population. How the isotope tagging works According to the IAEA, radioactive isotopes or radioisotopes are the unstable form of an element that emit radiation to transform into a more stable form. The radiation can be traced, and typically causes changes in the substance it falls upon. Through a non-invasive procedure, rhino horns are tagged with low doses of radioactive isotopes, allowing for their ready detection by radiation portal monitors (RPMs) already deployed at borders, ports, and airports worldwide to identify unauthorised nuclear materials. To test this system, the researchers used 3D-printed rhino horns with identical shielding properties to real keratin, which is the substance that makes up rhino horn. According to the university, the tests confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers. The procedure, according to the researchers, has proven to show no harm to the rhinos themselves, while making the horn 'useless' and 'poisonous' to humans. 'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' James Larkin, the project's Chief Scientific Officer, told the Associated Press. The university also announced the results of the pilot phase undertaken last June, when it injected radioisotopes into 20 rhinos at the Waterberg Biosphere in Waterberg, Limpopo, about 250 kilometres north of Johannesburg in South Africa. A team from Ghent University, Belgium, monitored the health and conducted cytological examinations on 15 treated rhinos, comparing these results with five untreated animals. The team used the biological dosimetry technique to culture blood samples and examined the formation of micronuclei in white blood cells, which indicates cellular damage. They found no such damage to the 20 rhinos in the pilot phase. 'This has been an international collaboration of like-minded individuals who are trying to make a real difference to this poaching crisis,' Larkin added. 'We started with the question – what if radiation could protect rather than harm, by turning rhino horns into traceable markers that stop poachers before they trade? After two years of digital modelling, safety testing and detection simulations, we're ready to roll out a solution that could truly reduce rhino poaching.' According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global rhino population was estimated to be about 500,000 at the start of the 20th century. It has since dwindled to 27,000, owing to the burgeoning demand for rhino horns. These horns are trafficked to Asian markets where they are used in traditional medicine, and also as as a status symbol. South Africa, home to the world's largest rhino population, had lost over 10,000 rhinos to poaching over the last decade, with 103 losses reported by the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in the first quarter of this year. While the project itself is not a cure-all or silver bullet to curb poaching, the researchers hope it will prove to be a great deterrent. It would certainly prove to be less disruptive to rhino behaviour compared to dehorning. While a 2024 study published in the Science journal showed that dehorning rhinos reduced poaching by 78 per cent over seven years on eight reserves, another study the previous year established that this measure impacted their ability to socialise with their peers and noted reductions in the sizes of their home ranges. The researchers are now looking to recreate the success of this project in protecting other endangered species, such as elephants or pangolins.
NDTV
01-08-2025
- NDTV
South Africa Injecting Radioactive Material Into Rhino Horns To Thwart Poaching
To combat poaching and wildlife trafficking, a South African university has begun injecting radioactive material into the horns of the rhinos. Dubbed the 'Rhisotope Project', scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand said the process is harmless to rhinos and will allow the authorities to detect smuggled horns as they are transported across the world. The scientists received operational approval for the project on Friday (Aug 1) after conducting intensive research and testing for the last six years. "We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems," said Wits University Professor James Larkin, who is also the Chief Scientific Officer of the Rhisotope Project. The project has received support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with five rhinos injected with the radioactive isotopes in the first batch. The researchers are hopeful that it will be the start of a mass injection drive. "This project exemplifies how nuclear science can be applied in novel ways to address global challenges. By leveraging existing nuclear security infrastructure, we can help protect one of the world's most iconic and endangered species," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Rhino population For the pilot study, 20 rhinos were injected with the radioactive material last year, which proved that it was not harmful to the animals. "Using a technique known as biological dosimetry, researchers cultured blood samples and examined the formation of micronuclei in white blood cells, a proven indicator of cellular damage," the university said. Additionally, the tests also confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers. Private and public rhino owners and conservation authorities have been urged to approach the university to have their rhinos injected. South Africa is home to the world's largest population of rhinos. However, in the last decade, it has lost over 10,000 rhinos to poaching. In the first quarter of 2025, 103 rhinos were poached, as per the data by the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global rhino population stood at around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, but has now declined to around 27,000
