Latest news with #PaulaCevaal
News18
2 days ago
- Health
- News18
Can This Covid Vaccine Technology Also 'Kick And Kill' HIV?
Last Updated: A team of Australian scientists has developed a novel method to reveal hidden HIV in white blood cells Scientists at Australia's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne have developed a groundbreaking method to 'wake up" hidden HIV within the human body, a crucial step that could enable their complete removal. And they have used mRNA technology, the same kind used in Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines. Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide. One of the main challenges in curing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) lies in its ability to establish latent reservoirs. These are small numbers of infected cells, primarily resting CD4+ T cells, where the virus integrates its genome but remains dormant and invisible to both the immune system and antiretroviral therapies (ART). While ART can suppress the virus to undetectable levels, it cannot eliminate these hidden reservoirs. If treatment stops, the virus can re-emerge and replicate, necessitating lifelong medication for people living with HIV. The Australian team discovered a novel way to deliver 'special instructions" to these hidden, latently infected cells. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers demonstrated how they packaged mRNA inside novel, microscopic fat-like bubbles called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), specifically a new design termed 'LNP X". The key breakthrough was engineering these LNPs to successfully transport the mRNA into the previously hard-to-reach resting CD4+ T cells. Once delivered, the mRNA instructs these cells to 'give up" the dormant virus, forcing it out of hiding and making it visible. This strategy aligns with the long-sought 'kick and kill" approach to HIV cure, where latency-reversing agents 'shock" the virus out of its dormant state, allowing the body's immune system or other therapies to 'kill" the newly exposed infected cells. Dr Paula Cevaal, a research fellow at the Doherty Institute and co-first author, described the initial results as astonishing, requiring repeated experiments to confirm their accuracy. 'We were overwhelmed by how big the difference was," she noted, emphasising the unprecedented success in revealing the hidden virus. While the research is currently laboratory-based and conducted on cells donated by HIV patients, this innovative method represents a significant step forward. The next crucial phase involves preclinical testing in animal models, followed by human trials to assess safety and efficacy. First Published: June 07, 2025, 04:36 IST
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
"Gasping": Scientists Make Breakthrough Toward Full Cure for HIV
Researchers say they've taken a major step toward finding a cure for HIV. As The Guardian reports, scientists at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne found a way to make the HIV virus visible, potentially laying the groundwork for ways to banish it from the body altogether. As detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the team developed a way to send messenger RNA into cells, to root out the hiding virus by fully enveloping it in a bubble of formulated fat called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The genetic molecules then instruct the cells to make the virus visible. Author and Doherty Institute research fellow Paula Cevaal told the Guardian that it was "previously thought impossible" to deliver mRNA into HIV-containing white blood cells. But thanks to a new type of LNPs, dubbed LNP X, the team found a way for these cells to accept the mRNA. "Our hope is that this new nanoparticle design could be a new pathway to an HIV cure," she added. The human immunodeficiency virus attacks the human body's immune system and can lead to deadly AIDS if left untreated. Despite decades of research, there's still no effective cure for the disease; though a handful of patients have been fully cured of HIV, the treatments remain brutally complex and expensive. While the number of people in the United States living with HIV has decreased since 2018, over 39,000 new patients were diagnosed in 2023. The latest research came with such surprising findings that the team didn't believe it at first. "We were overwhelmed by how [much of a] night and day difference it was — from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'wow,'" Cevaal told the Guardian. While it's a promising step in the right direction, scientists still have to figure out whether making the hidden virus visible will cause the body's immune system to deal with it. Other possibilities include developing new ways to combine their findings with other gene therapies to ultimately cure HIV. Before the latest technique can be used in humans, it would also have to be put through its paces, from animal experiments to human safety trials, a process that could easily take many years. And Cevaal appears to be realistic about those chances. "In the field of biomedicine, many things eventually don't make it into the clinic — that is the unfortunate truth; I don't want to paint a prettier picture than what is the reality," she told the Guardian. "But in terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing, in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus." "So from that point of view, we're very hopeful that we are also able to see this type of response in an animal, and that we could eventually do this in humans," she added. Beyond HIV, the researchers are hoping their LNP-based mRNA delivery method could be applied to other diseases as well, including certain types of cancer. More on HIV: Religious Conservatives Trying to End Insurance Coverage of Incredibly Effective Anti-HIV Drug
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Scientists find technology used in Covid vaccine to cure HIV
In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers in Australia may have found a new way to bring the world one step closer to curing at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne have developed a method to "wake up" hidden HIV viruses inside the human body, potentially allowing them to be removed ability for the HIV virus to conceal itself inside some white blood cells has been one of the main challenges for scientists looking for a cure. This also makes it nearly impossible for the immune system or even strong medicines to detect and destroy it But now, in their quest to find the best treatment, they have found a way to get the virus out of the their hidden form of HIV is known as a "reservoir." While today's medicines can control the virus, they cannot remove it. People with HIV still need lifelong treatment to stay healthy and prevent spreading the researchers have now used mRNA technology, the same kind used in Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines, to deliver special instructions to these hidden instructions make the virus come out of hiding, so it can potentially be eliminated from the problem before was that the white blood cells hiding HIV didn't accept the fat bubbles, or lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), that carry the the Melbourne team designed a new version of these fat bubbles called LNP X, which successfully entered the tricky white blood cells and delivered the Paula Cevaal, one of the lead researchers, said the early results were so surprising that the team repeated the experiments many times to confirm what they were seeing. "We were overwhelmed by how big the difference was," she told The research, published in Nature Communications, is still in the early stages and was done using cells donated by HIV patients in the steps would involve testing the method in animals, followed by human trials to check if the treatment is safe and truly team believes this could be a major moment in the fight against HIV, and possibly even helpful in treating other diseases like certain Reel
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Overwhelmed': Major virus breakthrough
Australian researchers have found a way to force the HIV virus out of hiding within cells, opening the way to eradicate the virus from the body. The human immunodeficiency virus is able to hide within white blood cells, presenting a serious roadblock for scientists pursuing a cure. Research from Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, published in late-May, says work towards a cure is one step closer. The next hurdle is analysing whether revealing the virus allows the body's immune system to fight off the virus or if additional treatments need to be combined. Australian researchers are closer to a HIV cure. Credit: News Limited 'In terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus,' co-author Paula Cevaal told the Guardian. 'We were overwhelmed by how night-and-day difference it was – from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'Wow'.' The HIV that hides in white blood cells can reactivate. The Peter Doherty Institute researchers used custom-made fat bubbles to deliver mRNA into cells where HIV is hiding. The mRNA tells the cells to reveal the virus. Messenger RNA is a molecule that contains instructions for cells to make a protein. The technology rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. People with HIV have to take medication for their entire life to suppress the virus, avoid symptoms and to stop transmission to other people. About 30,000 Australians live with HIV. In 2023, 722 new cases were reported to health authorities. Globally, in 2023, an estimated 500,000 to 820,000 people died from HIV-related causes.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Overwhelmed': Major breakthrough from Aussie researchers in HIV study
Australian researchers have found a way to force the HIV virus out of hiding within cells, opening the way to eradicate the virus from the body. The human immunodeficiency virus is able to hide within white blood cells, presenting a serious roadblock for scientists pursuing a cure. Research from Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, published in late-May, says work towards a cure is one step closer. The next hurdle is analysing whether revealing the virus allows the body's immune system to fight off the virus or if additional treatments need to be combined. 'In terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus,' co-author Paula Cevaal told the Guardian. 'We were overwhelmed by how night-and-day difference it was – from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'Wow'.' The HIV that hides in white blood cells can reactivate. The Peter Doherty Institute researchers used custom-made fat bubbles to deliver mRNA into cells where HIV is hiding. The mRNA tells the cells to reveal the virus. Messenger RNA is a molecule that contains instructions for cells to make a protein. The technology rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. People with HIV have to take medication for their entire life to suppress the virus, avoid symptoms and to stop transmission to other people. About 30,000 Australians live with HIV. In 2023, 722 new cases were reported to health authorities. Globally, in 2023, an estimated 500,000 to 820,000 people died from HIV-related causes.
