CHENNAI: Researchers working towards a cure for HIV-AIDS have hit upon possibilities with true potential to transform into viable solutions in the future, said Robert T Schooley, head, division of infectious diseases, University of California, San Diego. With his previous experience as chair of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, reputedly among the most productive multinational research organizations working on HIV pathogenesis and therapy, Schooley was an important contributor to the two-day ART Symposium in the city organized by YRG Care over the weekend to discuss cutting-edge technology in the field. Speaking to TOI on Sunday about new scientific advances in the HIV cure field, Schooley said, "There are a host of approaches being adopted by researchers worldwide to try and eradicate HIV however the approaches using either enzymes or RNA to remove infected cells are ultimately the most hopeful and will be the least disruptive for the patient. Paula Cannon, a researcher from California, for instance, has been working on ways to identify HIV-infected cells called CD4 cells (so called because they have a molecule on the surface called CD4) which is a gateway for the virus. These cells have a second molecule called CCR5 which is a second door that the virus has to pass through. Now, she has created a way for the second molecule to be changed so that they virus cannot recognize it. In this approach, the virus stays outside the cell." Elaborating on Cannon's research, he said she had been able to demonstrate it successfully in mice. "The next step will be to take people with HIV infection who have lymphoma and so, would need a bone marrow transplant for their tumours. She would treat the stem cells and hopefully the bone marrow so grafted would afford the patients' cells protection from HIV," Schooley said. Pointing out that this was an experiment that had to be done, he cited the example of a similar case but with a natural modification of the CCR5 molecule being reported in the New York Journal of Medicine about 18 months ago (HIV cure 2008). "After the HIV-infected individual underwent a bone marrow transplant from such a donor, no one could demonstrate the presence of HIV in the patient. So, there is certainly some preliminary support for her research," he said. Commenting on India's research potential, Schooley said that biotechnology was growing at an excellent pace in the country. "There is some state of the art research work being carried out by YRG Care and some fantastically sophisticated research at National Aids Research Institute, Pune. In fact, the component sites that we have in Chennai and Pune are among the most productive. We are carrying out trials on the best drugs to use for HIV infections, treating people with drug failure and drug resistance and treating people suffering from HIV and Tuberculosis at the same time. There is a lot of important work being carried out over here. India is one of the best places for research activity worldwide," he added. Source: www.timesofindia.com For information on a safe, simple and natural HIV cure: http://cureaidsinfo.com