Long before, immunotherapy has been well-known in the field of medicine to make great strides in various diseases including cancer treatment. With the Seattle region previously identified as the emerging epicenter for this approach, Immunotherapy has been well regarded to have the ability of using the body's immune system to fight disease. However, a renowned virologist and HIV researcher has recently claimed that with this kind of technology, it would also be possible to be used in HIV treatment which is usually hallmarked by a weakened immune system.
Will A Renowned HIV Researcher Put An End To This Problem?
According to reports revealed by Geek Wire, Dr. Larry Corey believes that CAR T or the cell immunotherapy could allegedly be the key to cure HIV patients. Apparently, Dr. Corey was known to have been a pioneering HIV researcher and former president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who has also been granted a $2.6 million boost for the betterment of his study. It was found that the alleged grant was given by California-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences which would be able to reportedly help Corey and his team in further investigating as to whether the CAR T cell therapies that is being developed at Fred Hutch could overcome certain challenges that are usually present in treating and curing HIV.
Is Immunotherapy The Cure For HIV?
In one of his statements reported by Fred Hutch, Dr. Larry Corey has explained that the type of virus found in HIV tends to create such a persistent immune deficiency. In line with this, Corey's team believes that one really has to improve the human immune response in order to develop an approach in which one's own immune system would be able to control the virus from replicating itself. Furthermore, the HIV researcher claims that they can bring the technology of genetically altering T cells, as what is currently being used with cancer immunotherapy, to HIV. Revealingly, for the said Gilead project, Corey's team will allegedly work with other researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle Children's, Oregon Health & Science University, and Fred Hutch spinout Juno Therapeutics, a biotech company developing immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients.
