Scientists have identified a protein that could practically eliminate the HIV virus.
Researchers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have identified a protein called Gammora that they say can reduce Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in infected patients by 97 per cent.
This sexually transmitted retrovirus, which is the precursor to the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is currently treated with drugs that slow its progression; however, as of now, there is no cure for HIV positive patients. Gammora could be the answer.
The findings raise hopes for sufferers of a disease that killed more than one million people globally in 2015.
The HIV virus attacks a type of white blood cell known as a CD4, which is used by the body to fight off illnesses like flu.
The virus uses the internal machinery of these cells to effectively take it over and make more and more copies of itself, destroying CD4s in the process.
The new drug was inserted into test tubes containing the blood of 10 AIDS patients by scientists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The active ingredient, called Gammora by researchers, caused several copies of the virus’s DNA to enter an infected CD4 cell, instead of the usual one or two.
This caused the damaged white blood cell to go into overdrive and self-destruct, leaving it unable to spread the virus any further.
Tests using Gammora will continue amid hopes it will soon be able to kill 100 per cent of infected HIV cells.
Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) says about 1,090,233 people were receiving anti-retroviral drugs in Nigeria as at June this year.
The Acting Director, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of NACA, Gregoary Ashefor, made the revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
He spoke on the sidelines of a workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Global Fund, an international financing group.
The theme of the three-day workshop is ‘Prioritisation of National Health Management Information System, Procurement and Supply Management and Laboratory Systems’ Interventions in the Resilient and Sustainable System for Health (RSSH) Proposal and Partners Mapping of Global Fund Support in Nigeria’.
Ashefor said the U.S President’s Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief is responsible for about 75 to 80 per cent of the treatment, while the Global Fund is responsible for about 20 per cent.
“We have other initiatives like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. They are responsible for about seven or eight per cent.”
The Acting Director said the Federal government is planning to include an additional 50,000 people from Taraba and Abia states to receive treatment.
According to him, about 76,000 people are currently on treatment in Taraba and Abia for which the government is solely responsible.
“The government has a scale-up plan, called fast-track plan to actually put more people on drugs.
“There are other interventions going on. The partners are also doing test and treatment in collaboration with the government. Ashefor said, however, that there is still a huge gap in terms of data management.
“How do we improve reporting? There are some data we are not capturing. The figures could be more than this.
“We are not capturing the initiatives and data from the private sector, hence a big gap in the data management system.
“Efforts are on to engage the private sector, so that we will know what they are doing. We want to ensure standards and we also want data.
“There are other interventions. For example, Global Fund is ready to support the RSSH, which is a way of promoting ownership and sustainability because one day partners will go and government will be left with all the patients.
“We are about to develop a sustainable plan. The government wants to own it, drive the process and make sure it is on top of everything,” he said.
- NAN