Lupus may end up saving lives
One woman may hold the key to developing an effective vaccine against HIV, and all because she has the autoimmune disease known as lupus. Experts…
Lupus may one day actually save lives. (Shutterstock)
One woman may hold the key to developing an effective vaccine against HIV, and all because she has the autoimmune disease known as lupus.
Experts are hopeful the patient’s unique status will grant enough insight into vaccine development to someday save the lives of thousands who have the virus that causes AIDS.
According to medical experts, the 33-year-old woman’s hyper-active immune system associated with lupus is what is allowing her to fight off HIV, creating “broadly neutralizing antibodies.”
SEE ALSO: Are Hispanic lupus patients forgoing needed treatment?
These antibodies keep HIV in check, though they don’t completely eradicate it from the body.
Most individuals with HIV are unable to create these specific antibodies because HIV itself breaks down the immune system, preventing any kind of potential antibody response strong enough to keep the virus from multiplying, according to a report from LiveScience.
“We found that the patient did indeed make these important antibodies, and by determining how this immune response occurred, we have enhanced our understanding of the process involved,” said study researcher Dr. Barton Haynes.
Haynes, director of the Duke University Human Vaccine Institute, indicated researchers are unclear as of yet on just how to use the findings; in a healthy individual without lupus, there seems to be no clear way to trigger the broadly neutralizing antibodies seen in this unique case.
Finding someone with both HIV and lupus is rare because of how each disease affects the genders. (Shutterstock)
Broadly neutralizing antibodies are key to staving off HIV, as one of the trademarks of the virus is it continually changes its genetic code as it replicates, effectively rendering any general antibodies against it worthless as the disease progresses.
“We wanted to induce this response in people who are not infected with HIV, to protect them, but the body just didn’t want to make these kind of antibodies,” Haynes said.
There is, of course, a risk associated with using the particular antibodies found in patients with lupus.
The reason lupus is considered a disease is because the immune system response is so strong it actually attacks the body’s own Tissues, causing more harm than good in most situations.
The goal is to find a way to regulate the response or tailor it to individuals who have HIV, though study authors indicate individuals with lupus are not considered immune to HIV by any means.
SEE ALSO: HIV prevention drug shows big promise
What’s more, though individuals with lupus do make broadly neutralizing antibodies, the process may take years; it is not something that would occur instantaneously.
While there is more than likely multiple ways to create the antibodies seen in this particular case study, the research team has yet to uncover them.
It took several years before they were able to find someone with both lupus and HIV, and while the antibodies seen are similar to those in HIV-negative lupus patients, there are differences that may be important.
Though approximately one million people in the United States live with HIV according to the Department of Health and Human Services, and more than 1.5 million individuals in the countries are affected by lupus, having a combination of the two is considered rare.
This may be in part because HIV is more easily transmitted between men, whereas 90 percent of people diagnosed with lupus are women.
