Preventing HIV Infection—The immune system’s natural killer (NK) cells rapidly kill virus-infected cells. In vitro studies suggest that these cells may help control HIV-1 infection by selectively killing HIV-1-infected cells. In a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Virology, Dr. Harris Goldstein and colleagues demonstrated that treating NK cells with the protein IL-15 markedly increased their capacity to kill HIV-1-infected cells. In “humanized” mice newly infected with HIV-1, treatment with IL-15 potently inhibited the development of acute HIV-1 infection. Stimulating NK cells in this way has been effectively used in patients for cancer treatment. This study marks the first time that NK stimulation has been found effective for inhibiting in vivo HIV infection. Dr. Goldstein is director of the Einstein/Montefiore Center for AIDS Research and associate dean for scientific resources. He also is professor of pediatrics and of microbiology & immunology, and holds the Charles Michael Chair in Autoimmune Diseases.
Posted on: Thursday, July 30, 2015