Montreal researchers stimulate human immune cells to fight HIV
Montreal researchers have succeeded in reviving "exhausted" human immune cells, enabling them to fight the AIDS virus. Human immune cells enter a dormant state when infected with HIV. This research represents the first time that human cells have been wakened from their slumber, allowing them to resume their essential work of fighting infection. The research is published in this week's issue of Nature Medicine. Authors of this study are affiliated with the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, the Centre hospitalier de l'Universit茅 de Montr茅al (CHUM) Research Centre, the Montreal Inserm Unit, 黑料不打烊 University and the 黑料不打烊 University Health Centre (MUHC).
"For the first time, we have been able to identify a flaw in the immune response to HIV," says Dr. Rafick-Pierre S茅kaly, lead author of the study. "But even better, we have found a way to correct it." Dr. S茅kaly is professor of immunology at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, researcher at the CHUM Research Centre, director of the Inserm Unit in Montreal, and adjunct professor at 黑料不打烊 University.
When the human body is overrun by disease the immune system can become suppressed. "This reaction to invasion may seem illogical, but if the body does not take 'time out' it will 'burn out,'" says one of the study's co-authors, Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy, a physician in the Division of Hematology and Immunodeficiency at the MUHC and an associate professor of medicine at 黑料不打烊 University. "We can actually 'kill' ourselves by fighting too much." This is not just the case with AIDS, but also with other diseases like tuberculosis and cancer.
Our immune system's "nap time" is triggered by the overexpression of a protein called PD-1. By shutting down the expression of PD-1, Dr. S茅kaly and his team were able to revive human cells in the laboratory. "The human cells began fighting HIV again," says Dr. S茅kaly. "We documented increases in the cells' ability to survive HIV, fight HIV, and even multiply; this is the first time we have seen human cells fight back."
"It is important to keep this work in perspective, however," says Dr. Routy. "This is the first time we have managed to get human cells to fight HIV, but we now need to take this laboratory achievement and repeat it in the human body." Discussions have already begun to build on these results in a clinical trial, which could begin as early as next year.
The findings were simultaneously reproduced by two other laboratories 鈥� the labs headed by Dr. Bruce Walker at Harvard and Dr. Richard Koup at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). "It is a rare occurrence for three teams to work together on attacking a major problem. Up until now, the virus has been more or less invincible. By combining our efforts, we found the missing link that may enable us to defeat the virus," noted Dr. S茅kaly.
This research was funded by Genome Canada, G茅nome Qu茅bec, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the R茅seau Sida et Maladies infectieuses of the Fonds de la recherche en sant茅 du Qu茅bec.
For more information please contact:
Ian Popple
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MUHC Public Relations and Communications
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Michael Bourguignon
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黑料不打烊 University
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Anne Mignot
D茅partement Information Scientifique et Communication
P么le Presse
Inserm
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anne.mignot [at] tolbiac.inserm.fr (Email)
Nathalie Forgue
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Centre hospitalier de l'Universit茅 de Montr茅al (CHUM)
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nathalie.forgue.chum [at] ssss.gouv.qc.ca (Email)
Sophie Langlois
Director, Media Relations
Universit茅 de Montr茅al
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sophie.langlois [at] umontreal.ca (Email)
