Specialists Cast Doubt on New AIDS Findings

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Specialists Cast Doubt on New AIDS Findings

Reuters (10/26/93) (Yanowitch, Lee)

Marne La Coquette, France--After French researchers at the Pasteur Institute claimed on Monday to have solved the mystery of how AIDS penetrates and infects human cells, the celebration of the discovery was overshadowed by the doubts cast by specialists, who said that findings would help understand the virus, but not necessarily lead to a vaccine. Ara Hovanessian, head of the Pasteur team, said the researchers had isolated a co-receptor molecule called CD26, which serves as a portal allowing the AIDS virus to invade the cell. Hovanessian presented the findings at a symposium of international AIDS experts, where many specialists expressed doubt about the use of the discovery in developing a vaccine. "Every discovery must be confirmed by someone else," said Marc Girard, head of vaccine research at the Institute. "As long as it is not confirmed, it is not valid." Although Girard conceded that perhaps one day a treatment might be developed that could block CD26 activity, it is still not know whether the molecule has an important or indispensable function to the human body. Another problem with Hovanessian's research is that there are cells that HIV may infect via receptors other than CD4 and CD26, said Pierre Fillipi, who studies AIDS- generated brain lesions. If this held true, CD26 would not be a viable target for prevention or treatment. If, however, later results confirm Hovanessian's current hypothesis, scientists could use genetic manipulation to place CD4 and CD26 receptors on laboratory mice, thus providing an animal model that AIDS researchers desperately need and have long awaited.

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