Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 13 July 1996
Maggie Fox

Aggressive treatments that pin down the viral invaders, pummeling them before and during their assault on the body's immune system, were the stars of the conference that attracted 15,000 delegates.

Scientists also told about recent strides made in understanding how the virus itself works, and how the body's immune system sometimes fights back.

They discussed which experimental vaccines seemed to work, and which did not, and told of ways to prevent babies from getting HIV infection from their mothers.

"Genuine scientific progress has been made over the last two years and there is reason for hope in industrialised countries," said Kevin de Cock of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

But the scientists often disagreed dramatically on what the various findings mean, and pointed out that most of their research is highly experimental, involving only a few volunteers who have been studied for a very short period of time.

"In medicine, hope is a good companion but a notoriously unreliable guide," De Cock told the final conference session. "I think that widespread speculation ... about a cure is a distraction."

Most of the studies presented had lasted only a year at most -- and AIDS is insidious, sometimes popping up only after 15 years. And the toxic effects of the drugs can make patients very ill.

Nonetheless, the latest findings offered the first real hope a disease that has killed 5.8 million people can be beaten.

Dr. David Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond Research Centre in New York, described how a triple combination of drugs, including newly developed protease inhibitors, knocked out evidence of the virus in the blood and lymph glands.

The question now was whether the virus was still hiding elsewhere in the body and how long it would take to root it out, but Ho thought it was possible to eradicate it within two years, three at the most.

He said the findings added to a growing consensus that the virus had to be hit early and hard. Treatment should start while patients were still healthy and strong, Ho and others said.

Other tests dispelled fears that new drugs might cause cross-resistance to the virus, which would have indicated early treatment could make later intervention useless.

Reviewing the scientific results of the conference, Deborah Birx, director of retrovirology at Walter Reed Army Institute, said new tools included better tests for infection and better analysis of what the virus looks like genetically.

This knowledge could be used to make new drugs, target vaccines, and boost the embyronic field of gene therapy.

"We also understand much more about HIV replication," she said. "We now know that there are billions and billions of viral particles produced every day."

This makes clear the HIV virus mutates inside the bodies of its victims, creating ever-stronger versions that might resist both the drugs and natural immune defences.

But progress was also made in understanding how the body defends itself, and how this could be used in treating AIDS.

Several researchers presented their findings on the receptors, or chemical gateways, the virus uses to break into the cell, and told how the same chemicals seemed to be used by the body to resist HIV.

Martin Landau of New York's Aaron Diamond AIDS centre said the discoveries were important for finding better ways to battle the virus. "For example, some people get infected with HIV more easily than others," he said. The proteins could control this.

He said pharmaceutical companies were looking into ways to design drugs that could use the proteins.

Birx said several approaches seemed to work, including a vaccine that uses the DNA of the virus to activate the body's immune system.

But, she added, "It's obvious that the virus's spread and adaptation is independent of international borders. Vaccine development must be global in concept and application."
960713
RE960784

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .