Can AIDS be cured in about five years?

Expert suspects cure of AIDS in five years

18/03/2012

Researchers believe that effective treatment for AIDS will be available over the next five years. As the Aids experts reported during the 14th Munich Aids and Hepatitis Days, in view of the recent progress made in AIDS research, the timely development of a successful treatment method can be hoped for.

The internist and director of the 14th Munich Aids and Hepatitis Day, Hans Jäger, emphasized that „Cure research has made more progress over the last twelve months than ever before“. Within the next five years, the immune deficiency disease could be curable, according to the expert. Hunter referred to several new approaches for the successful treatment of AIDS.

Significant progress in AIDS research last year
As part of the 14th Munich Aids and Hepatitis Days, around 1,500 scientists, doctors, nurses and other experts will be dedicated to the topics of AIDS and hepatitis until Sunday. In Unterschleissheim near Munich, the experts will discuss new developments and future options in the field of both viral diseases. The head Hans Jäger emphasized that significant progress was made in the field of AIDS research in the past year. According to his assessment, the immune deficiency disease could soon be curable. Five years are according to the expert „a realistic period in which we can heal.“ Although successful treatment of AIDS using bone marrow transplantation at the Berlin Charité was already successfully achieved three years ago, the procedure is too complex to be applied to all patients. Thus, further research is required to develop a usable treatment method in the coming years. However, the experts were optimistic that a breakthrough will be achieved here in the coming years.

Cancer drug fights HIV in hidden infected cells
The researchers put special hope in a novel treatment approach, which was presented at a congress in Seattle. With the aid of the cancer drug Vorinostat, it was possible to combat the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in hidden infected cells. At this point, previous drug-based HIV therapies had always failed. Although the AIDS drugs were able to kill the HI virus in the other cells well, but the virus survived in hidden infected cells, so that they could spread from there again and again. With the cancer drug it was now succeeded, „to release viruses from latently infected cells, which can then be reached and destroyed by known drugs“, reports the Munich internist hunter. Even today, with the help of existing drugs, the viral load in the blood can be kept so low that HIV-infected people no longer run the risk of infection, the expert explained. This is especially important for couples, so that they can lead a largely normal life. „The concept is called prevention through therapy“, Hunter continues.

No vaccine against AIDS in the next few years
While some AIDS researchers also placed great hope in the development of a vaccine against HIV, the head of the 14th Munich Aids and Hepatitis Day, Hans Jäger, was less convinced of a timely breakthrough in the development of an HIV vaccine. „We do not have vaccinations and will not get them in the next few years“, stressed hunter. (Fp)

Read about:
AIDS study the breakthrough of 2011
Aids: 17 antibodies against HI viruses discovered
30 years of AIDS: still no cure in sight?
Proper handling of HIV infections is required
AIDS: drug to protect against HIV infection
Precursors of AIDS viruses tens of thousands of years old
AIDS: SI virus is considered a precursor to HIV
Why some people do not get AIDS despite HIV
Healing AIDS possible in 5 years

Picture: Gerd Altmann