Latest AIDS research offers fresh treatment hopes

A study by Medical Research Council scientists has revealed fresh hope for developing ways to combat HIV the virus which causes AIDS.

The research team at the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research has uncovered crucial differences in a gene found in rhesus monkeys and its human counterpart. The animal gene can prevent HIV infection, while the human gene cannot.

The study claims that these differences indicate that HIV infection would not have become established in humans, if the form of the gene present in certain monkeys had also been present in humans. It also reveals that only a single change in the gene is required to help it interfere with the replication process of the HIV virus and prevent infection.

MRC scientists believe that the new study, which is published in this week's edition of 'Current Biology', suggests that harnessing natural mechanisms of resistance to HIV infection might help discover new ways to fight AIDS.

Lead scientist on the project, Dr Jonathan Stoye, described the discovery as having "significant implications" for the development of gene therapy to help combat AIDS. He said: "In theory, it should be possible to take cells from an HIV-infected individual, make them resistant to HIV infection with the modified gene and reintroduce them into the patient. These cells could then block progression to AIDS."

The publication of the MRC's study coincides with the publication of a report into the extent to which stigma and discrimination affects both gay men and Africans infected with HIV in the UK.

Conducted by Sigma Research and commissioned by the National AIDS Trust, the 'Outsider Status' report found that a quarter of people living with HIV in the UK had experienced some form of discrimination. This was also frequently combined with ingrained racism, homophobia and anti-asylum feeling.

The report also discovered that stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS prevented many gay men from telling their family about their condition and also revealed that many sufferers are afraid to disclose the information about their status to employers for fear of dismissal.

The situation was worse among African people with HIV in the UK. The report revealed that while half those surveyed had revealing their status to those they lived with, two-thirds had not informed their employers, and a quarter had not told their GP.

The report was critical of the government's asylum and immigration polices, stating that they could "exacerbate HIV related stigma and discrimination.

Commenting on the report, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust, Deborah Jack, said: "This research highlights the continuing stigma associated with HIV and the discrimination faced by people living with the virus. Action is urgently needed by the government, communities and HIV organisations to break down this stigma, which has consequences for both individuals and for public health."

(KMcA/SP)