Global health R&D at work in Minnesota
Scientists at the University of Minnesota Medical School are working to unlock why antiretroviral therapies are unable to completely shut down HIV production in cells in certain parts of the body in the hopes of advancing effective solutions. Their research found that nearly 99 percent of these HIV-infected cells are found in tissue in the lymph nodes, spleen, and gastrointestinal tract. This reservoir of latently infected cells can reactivate if therapy is interrupted, posing a major challenge to curing the disease. The researchers are now exploring whether there are drugs that can be used to “reactivate” the virus from latent cells, allowing antiretrovirals to then attack and eliminate it. These discoveries could lead to the development of more effective treatments for HIV or even a cure for AIDS. Globally, more than 38 million people are living with HIV.