New University Of Pittsburgh Breakthrough Could Improve Therapies For HIV/AIDS

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research, or CVR, have found direct proof of a “long-suspected” cause of multiple HIV-related health complications. Researchers say that their findings indicate that complementary therapies to antiretroviral drugs will help to slow HIV progression in patients suffering from the virus. The CVR’s research is set to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The researchers found that a common drug used in kidney dialysis treatment significantly reduces the levels of bacteria that leave the stomach and intestines following damage from HIV, therefore curbing the health complications caused by this microbial translocation. The tests conducted at CVR were performed on non-human primates infected with the simian form of HIV.

Ivona Pandrea, professor of pathology at CVR, commented on the results of the study. “We now have direct evidence of a major culprit in poor outcomes for some HIV-infected people, which is an important breakthrough in the fight against AIDS,” she said. “Researchers and doctors can now better test potential therapies to slow or stop a key cause of death and heart disease in people with HIV.”

While chronic activation of the immune system and inflammation are major factors in HIV progression, researchers had long failed to link these outcomes with bacteria leaving the gut. Dr. Pandrea’s team found that link by treating monkeys with the simian form of HIV with Sevelamer, a drug that treats elevated levels of phosphate in the blood of those with kidney disease. The bacteria in the intestine bind to the drug, making it more difficult for them to leave the gut and cause problems elsewhere in the body. “These findings clearly demonstrate that stopping bacteria from leaving the gut reduces the rates of many HIV comorbidities,” said Pandrea.