Cancer Drug Finds HIV Hidden in the Body

September 08, 2012

People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus must take anti-retroviral drugs for the rest of their lives to keep HIV under control

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: And I’m Christopher Cruise. Today, we tell about an anti-cancer drug recently shown to fight HIV, the virus that causes the disease AIDS. We tell about another drug that may help reduce the number of HIV infections. And we have a report on how researchers are turning to the high seas for new medicines.

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​​SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus must take anti-retroviral drugs for the rest of their lives to keep HIV under control. If they fail to do so, HIV-infected cells hidden within the body can become active. When that happens, the infection can return and attack the body, causing AIDS.

Recently, researchers discovered that a drug used to treat cancer can find and attack HIV-infected cells. Researchers say the discovery is an important step in the effort to find a way to cure those infected.

HIV has found a way to survive inside the human body by making itself part of the genetic structure of T-cells. These white blood cells are part of the body’s natural defenses for fighting disease. They also are targets of the AIDS virus.