MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: Cryonic Suspension and A.I.D.s virus

Date: Mon May 9 16:59:01 2011
Posted By: Billy Carver, Grad student, Biomedical Sciences, Vanderbilt University
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 1303079277.Gb
Message:

Hi Shawn,

This is a really interesting question. As I’m sure you know, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a disease caused by the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) virus. Once the virus gains access to the blood stream, it works by infecting and destroying cells of the immune cells (notably CD4+ T- helper cells). When the number of CD4+ cells in the blood drops below a certain level, the body is no longer able to properly mount immune responses to pathogens, allowing a variety of microbes to infect the body; this is AIDS. It is these “opportunistic ” infections that go on to kill people with AIDS.

HIV is a retrovirus – that is, it is a virus that has a genome made of RNA that has to convert its genome back to DNA when it infects a cell using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Because human cells lack reverse transcriptase, it was the earliest and one of the most effective targets in treating HIV…reverse transcriptase inhibitors like Zidovudine (AZT) were the very first drugs used to fight HIV. HIV also requires special protein cutting enzymes called proteases to cleave large protein products into smaller ones for viral production…inhibitors of these proteases, appropriately called protease inhibitors, have also been used successfully therapeutically.

Now, let’s address your question. I am familiar with the experiments using hydrogen sulfide gas to place mice in states of suspended animation. Importantly, these mice did not become metabolically inactive… indeed, they maintained constant blood pressure. Thus, removing their blood would almost certainly kill the mice…and would absolutely kill a person.

There is a relatively new technique that people have been researching that is similar to what you suggest. I mentioned earlier that CD4+ cells were targeted by the HIV virus. The HIV virus actually requires a second protein on the cell surface called CCR5 to infect those cells. Some people have mutations in this protein called the “delta 32” mutation which the HIV virus cannot recognize; these people are immune to AIDS. When doctors in Germany removed the bone marrow of an HIV+ leukemia patient, effectively removing his body’s ability to produce blood, and replaced it with the bone marrow of a donor who had the delta 32 mutation, the patient was cured of HIV. This work is still in its infancy, and the dangers associated with bone marrow replacement and the shortage of available donors makes it technically impossible as of now, but it is certainly the focus of much research.

Bone marrow is just one of the myriad targets of intense HIV research. I’m including some links to reputable sites that discuss some other approaches. I like the way you think – keep asking questions!

Billy.

 

·         This is a link to the BBC report about the bone marrow transplant. Very interesting!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7726118.stm

 

·         AVERTing HIV and AIDS: A cure for AIDS.

This is really interesting. It mentions the bone marrow case I talked about, as well as using gene therapy. It also briefly introduces an idea focused around activating CD4+ cells that might be “hiding” HIV virus. It also has links to very detailed descriptions of the topics they mention.

http://www.avert.org/cure-for-aids.htm

 

·         AMFAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research) is an organization that provides funding for laboratories investigating HIV and AIDS. Their section “In the Lab” is a treasure trove of information regarding the newest techniques in treating HIV/AIDS…I think this is a particularly interesting site because it includes even very early projects on HIV treatment.

www.amfar.org

 

·         Finally, in July of 2010 the journal Science published a review of current knowledge and potential therapies for HIV/AIDS. It’s a pretty dense read, but it has some valuable information.

“HIV Persistence and the Prospect of Long-Term Drug-Free Remissions for HIV- Infected Individuals.”

Trono D, Van Lint C, Rouzioux C, Verdin E, Barre-Sinoussi F, Chun T, and Chomont N. Science. 174 – 180. 2010. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/329/5988/174.full

 

 


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