New therapeutic vaccine model attracts and traps viral particles to assist the immune system.
Drexel University news release
Medical advancements over the last several decades have made great strides in the treatment of HIV. Pharmaceutical treatments are able to contain and reduce a patient’s viral load to the point where it is nearly undetectable. But a cure remains frustratingly elusive due to the virus’s ability to evade the immune system. Researchers from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, who specialize in modulating immune responses, have offered a new approach — one that’s likely familiar to anyone who has dealt with pest removal: setting a trap.
Recently reported in the journal Biomaterials, the team demonstrated how to disguise a liposome — a type of hollow fat bubble found throughout the body — as an immune cell, creating what they call a “nanotrap” for HIV. They report that the biological ruse is capable not only of luring and ensnaring the virus, but also tagging it as an intruder, which triggers an immune response.
Read the full news release here.
Source : Drexel University
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