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The biggest problem with HIV is that when you're dealing with one person with "HIV" you're actually fighting dozens of different adaptations of the virus, much
by s_q_b 11y ago
The biggest problem with HIV is that when you're dealing with one person with "HIV" you're actually fighting dozens of different adaptations of the virus, much like how cancer tumors differentiate into dozens of cell types.
My approach would be to compare and contrast SIV and HIV defense strategies in humans and chimps. How does the TRIM5-alpha in chimps manage to fight off HIV, and how does human TRIM5-alpha fight off SIV?
- rpgmaker 11y agoWhat makes you think that they aren't doing that already? That seems like the first thing anyone would think of doing.
- s_q_b 11y agoWell, I keep up on my journal reading, and my sister's a medical doctor from Penn. The first serious proposal for preliminary trim5-alpha based gene therapy was released in 2015, without much reaction. Some previous work has been done. Modified human T-cells with a copy of new world monkey trim5-alpha. The result was successful in vitro. I believe that was 2008. My point was really, "Why doesn't this rather straightforward mechanism receive more time and research?" *Disclaimer: I have worked in bioinformatics.
- rpgmaker 11y agoThank you. If that is indeed the case then I'm left asking the same question.