Results of a new study indicate that small genetic changes in a single immune system protein, called HLA-B, are the reason some people are able to control HIV infections without the help of antiretrovirals.

“We were looking for genetic differences between [HIV-positive individuals] who only differed in their natural ability to limit the replication of the virus. That led us to the HLA-B gene; specifically, our work demonstrates that only a handful of amino acids may make a crucial difference in the individual’s ability to control HIV,” said Professor Paul…

Results of a new study suggest that the rate at which an HIV-positive person will progress to AIDS may be similar to the rate of progression in the person who passed the virus on to them.

“If an untreated individual has been infected by someone who developed AIDS rapidly, the likelihood that he/she will develop AIDS rapidly is higher than was previously thought,” said Dr. Samuel Alizon, lead author of the study, in email correspondence with The AIDS Beacon.

It is still largely a mystery why some people with HIV…

Long touted as a potentially powerful weapon against HIV, stem cell therapy may be moving one step closer to reality. Researchers may soon begin using stem cell therapy in clinical trials for patients not responding to antiretroviral drugs (see related AIDS Beacon news).

At the Society for General Microbiology’s spring meeting in Edinburgh, University of Amsterdam Professor Ben Berkhout spoke of his investigations into the novel therapy.

Meant for individuals no longer responding to the traditional regimen of antivirals, Berkhout’s proposed stem cell therapy holds promise for long-term, effective…

In a study published today in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers found that individuals with a particular gene variation progress more slowly from HIV to AIDS, and are also more successful at controlling their viral loads, or the amount of HIV in the blood.

Genes are segments of DNA, and code for certain proteins. In this case, researchers were studying variations in a segment of DNA located just before the gene for HLA-C, a protein that helps the immune system identify viruses and bacteria.

Three possible variants were identified: CC,…