a way to Destroy
Viral reservoirs?
The anticonvulsant drug valproic acid might be useful in helping to wipe out HIV viral reservoirs and potentially purge the body of the virus, researchers reported in August in The Lancet. Scientists at the Gladstone Institute for Virology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that twice-daily valproic acid treatment for three months reduced the size of the pool of dormant HIV-infected cells by 75% in three of four patients studied. Because the study size was small, researchers are guardedly optimistic about its findings. 'It's a baby step,' says Gladstone director Warner Greene.
Other prominent researchers dismissed the UCSF team's findings, saying that even if a tiny fraction of 1% of latently infected cells in the body were to escape destruction, HIV would come roaring back once those cells were activated. 'It's a little bit premature to be talking about a cure for HIV,' cautions Robert Siliciano of Johns Hopkins University.
