PART 2: The Latest HIV Research - Destroying a Virus That Hides

#HIV is a formidable pathogen that targets the #immunesystem, particularly CD4 cells, and weakens the body's defense against infections. While CD4 cells have been the primary focus of HIV #research, a team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is investigating a new victim - #myeloid cells - which they believe may be the key to achieving a functional #cure.
In part two of the Inside U Miami Medicine episode exploring the latest HIV research, Mario Stevenson, Ph.D., director of the HIV and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute, shares why myeloid cells contribute to a long-lived HIV reservoir.
“They hide out in places the drugs might not reach very effectively, and they have characteristics that favor and help the virus to persist and avoid #immune detection,” said Stevenson. “They also don’t suffer deleterious effects from being infected.”
Dr. Stevenson also spoke with Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, about a study that is evaluating the impact of methamphetamine on HIV.
“We suspect that meth directly impacts the reservoirs of HIV,” said Dr. Stevenson. “It can epigenetically modify the host cell repertoire and that could be the trigger for HIV activation. If the virus is more awake, it might be more visible to the immune system and antiretroviral agents.”
Tune in to hear more about this fascinating research.