Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Monday December 27, 1999
They said the test, developed by a team led by Dr Sunil Shaunak at London's Hammersmith hospital, could tell doctors when the AIDS virus was hiding in the body.
The Times said doctors expected it to lead to therapies that totally controlled the virus and completely halted its progression to AIDS. The test could pinpoint the waste products of the virus's replication, the newspaper said.
These consisted of small loops or 'circles' of viral DNA that could be found in white blood cells.
"The 'circle test' will mean better treatment for patients with HIV and should help us to identify new therapies which will lead to total control of this virus within the body," Shaunak was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
"The complex and toxic medications HIV patients receive at present can now be monitored more effectively and should lead to more informed decisions about the best therapy for each one.
"The challenge now lies in understanding the nature of the reservoir in which the virus continues to grow despite anti-retroviral drugs."
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