عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

HIV Might be Dormant in Brain, New Study Suggests

A colorized electron microscope image shows a single humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) as it buds from a human immune cell,which the virus had infected. (NIAID via AP)
A colorized electron microscope image shows a single humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) as it buds from a human immune cell,which the virus had infected. (NIAID via AP)
TT
20
TT

HIV Might be Dormant in Brain, New Study Suggests

A colorized electron microscope image shows a single humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) as it buds from a human immune cell,which the virus had infected. (NIAID via AP)
A colorized electron microscope image shows a single humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) as it buds from a human immune cell,which the virus had infected. (NIAID via AP)

A new study published June 16 in the Journal of Clinical Investigations, found that microglial cells, specialized immune cells with a long lifespan in the brain, can serve as a stable viral reservoir for latent HIV.

 

As a part of its life cycle, the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) inserts a copy of its DNA into human immune cells. Some of these newly infected immune cells can then transition into a dormant, latent state for a long period of time.

 

Although current therapies, such current antiretroviral therapy (ART), can successfully block the virus from replicating further, it cannot eradicate latent HIV. If treatment is ever discontinued, the virus can rebound from latency and reignite the progression of HIV infection to AIDS.

 

In the new study, led by scientists from the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine, it has been confirmed that microglial cells can serve as a stable viral reservoir for latent HIV. The team studied the brains of macaques with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a virus that is closely related to HIV, to get a better understanding of how to extract and purify viable cells from primate brain tissue.

 

Researchers used physical separation techniques and antibodies to selectively remove microglial cells. Using these techniques, researchers then obtained samples that were donated by HIV+ people who were enrolled in “The Last Gift” Study at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

 

The study involved altruistic HIV+ people, who are taking ART but suffering from other terminal illnesses, will their bodies to further the HIV research project. Now that the researchers know that latent HIV can take refuge in microglial cells in the brain, they are considering plans to target this type of reservoir.

 

“Since latent HIV in the brain is radically different from the virus in the periphery, researchers believe that it has adapted special characteristics to replicate in the brain,” explained first author Yuyang Tang, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UNC.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Woman who Disappeared from Wisconsin More Than 6 Decades Ago Found Safe

A welcome sign stands at the entrance of the city of Reedsburg, Wis., in July 2020. (Erica Dynes/Reedsburg Times-Press via AP)
A welcome sign stands at the entrance of the city of Reedsburg, Wis., in July 2020. (Erica Dynes/Reedsburg Times-Press via AP)
TT
20
TT

Woman who Disappeared from Wisconsin More Than 6 Decades Ago Found Safe

A welcome sign stands at the entrance of the city of Reedsburg, Wis., in July 2020. (Erica Dynes/Reedsburg Times-Press via AP)
A welcome sign stands at the entrance of the city of Reedsburg, Wis., in July 2020. (Erica Dynes/Reedsburg Times-Press via AP)

Sixty-two years ago, Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family’s babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis.
Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her.
All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state, thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February.
Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg, which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state.
Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord -- likely due to an abusive husband, The Associated Press quoted Hanson as saying.
“She’s happy, safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,” he said.
Hanson was assigned the case in late February and, after discovering the arrest record, he and other officials met with Backeberg’s family to see if they had a connection with that region. They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's Ancestry.com account, pulling census records, obituaries and marriage licenses from that region.
Within about two months, they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg, including date of birth and social security number. Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80's, called Hanson.
“It happened so fast," he said. "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say, ‘Oh nobody answered the door.’ And I thought it was the deputy calling me, but it was actually her. And to be honest it was just a very casual conversation. I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.”
Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share, saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found.
“I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had, having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,” he said.
Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of. And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting, he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to.
“There's family living here, so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything, any phone numbers of family members back here," he said. "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.”