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Researchers Modify T-Cells, Make Them HIV Resistant

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the changing-the-locks dept.

DieNadel writes to share that naturally occurring proteins called "zinc fingers" are being used in a new approach to AIDS treatment. Using modified T-Cells with the zinc fingers, researchers at the Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown a reduction in viral load in mice. "'By inducing mutations in the CCR5 gene using zinc finger proteins, we've reduced the expression of CCR5 surface proteins on T cells, which is necessary for the AIDS virus to enter these immune system cells,' explains first author Elena Perez, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn. 'This approach stops the AIDS virus from entering the T cells because it now has an introduced error into the CCR5 gene.'"

19 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. OMGZombies! by gorckat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh wait...T-cells. I thought it said T-Virus.

    1. Re:OMGZombies! by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ah yes but we don't pronounce it T just t' so its easy to tell the difference.

  2. law of unintended consequences... by conspirator57 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    what *else* do these surface proteins on the T cell do?

    maybe there is something those altered structures do that we will miss when they stop performing their function...

    not everything in the body is superfluous like the appendix or wisdom teeth.

    --
    "If still these truths be held to be
    Self evident."
    -Edna St. Vincent Millay
    1. Re:law of unintended consequences... by troybob · · Score: 5, Funny

      OMG you had better try to get in touch with these researchers, because this probably did not occur to them at all!

    2. Re:law of unintended consequences... by Gat0r30y · · Score: 4, Informative
      FTFA -

      Some people are born with a mutation on their CCR5 gene and therefore do not have a working CCR5 receptor on the surface of their T cells. These rare individuals are immune to HIV infection and seemingly are not affected by the non-functional CCR5 protein. The zinc finger approach aims to mimic this natural immunity.

      It would appear that these surface proteins are "superfluous", or at least not really necessary.

      --
      Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
    3. Re:law of unintended consequences... by MrMr · · Score: 4, Informative

      After having worked in the pharmaceutical industry for about 12 years I can only say: You'd be amazed.
      T-cells are part of the immune system, and perhaps you remember this recent infamous TGN1412 experiment involving T-Cells

    4. Re:law of unintended consequences... by Fred_A · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, not zombies, corpses.

      So... pre-zombies?

      We scientific types prefer to call them zombie precursors.

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
  3. Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome by geekmansworld · · Score: 4, Funny

    Haven't we learned not to modify T-Cells already?

  4. Re:So what? by arthurpaliden · · Score: 5, Funny

    The world is going to end in 2012 anyway so why worry.

    --
    Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
  5. This is probably good news by Whuffo · · Score: 4, Insightful
    HIV is a polymorphic virus - it changes its "shape" often, making vaccines difficult / impossible to create. Sure, they can create a vaccine for variation 32b, but there's a bunch of variants and new ones show up from time to time. A nice simple AIDS vaccine that you can give to kids is - as far as we know at this time - impossible.


    But this technology may provide a way to defend against this virus. By changing the "shape" of our T-cells it will prevent the virus from recognizing its target. This would render it ineffective and be effective against the numerous variants.

    Of course, this is still early in the development cycle. There's always the chance of unintended consequences...

    1. Re:This is probably good news by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Informative

      But this technology may provide a way to defend against this virus. By changing the "shape" of our T-cells it will prevent the virus from recognizing its target. This would render it ineffective and be effective against the numerous variants

      This does not make the T-cell invisible to HIV, it sets a trap.

      T Cell (in sexy voice): How about it, Mr. HIV, do you want to come into my place?
      HIV: Om nom nom let me put my arms around you baby... wait, where the fuck do I put my left arm? I can't penetrate without both arms around you!
      T cell: All your binding proteins are belong to me.
      HIV: I'm going to go hit on someone else. Let go of my right arm, you bastard!
      T cell: Om nom nom

      Well ok, it's a stretch, the T cell doesn't eat the virus at the end.

      But the zinc fingers don't disguise the T-cell, they keep the T-cell from expressing one of the antigens on its surface. So instead of the two binding sites needed for the T-cell to be infected, it only shows one.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    2. Re:This is probably good news by GroeFaZ · · Score: 4, Funny

      Couldn't you have put it as an analogy that does not involve "making out"? Something slashdotters can understand, like, a car analogy?

      --
      The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
  6. Worst summary ever... by JDevers · · Score: 4, Informative

    Talk about completely misreading even the one paragraph blurb. Zinc fingers are a large group of protein sub-structures which are used to interact with DNA. This group used them to induce a specific mutation which now seems to be HIV resistant How long this will last is really up in the air though, HIV and all other RNA viruses evolve very quickly.

  7. Alternatively: by my_left_nut · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Researchers Throw Finger at HIV"

  8. Brilliant! by DeVilla · · Score: 4, Funny

    That sounds like a great plan. Insert errors into our genetic code until the virus leaves us alone. That's got to work.

  9. Re:So what? by cp.tar · · Score: 5, Funny

    They need to be good libs

    As opposed to what, being a good "con" and doing what?

    Conning people?

    --
    Ignore this signature. By order.
  10. Re:So what? by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just because the Mayans calendar ended then means what exactly? They didn't even invent, let alone UTILIZE the wheel...

          Not only that but they were able to predict "the end of the world" and yet utterly failed to foresee the end of their own civilization?

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  11. Re:So what? by saxoholic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Just because the Mayans calendar ended then means what exactly? They didn't even invent, let alone UTILIZE the wheel...

    Not only that but they were able to predict "the end of the world" and yet utterly failed to foresee the end of their own civilization?

    This isn't actually true. The Mayan long count actually continues after 2012. The Mayans actually thought the world wouldn't end until sometime around 3000. The cause for the misinterpretation is in the way the Mayans wrote the date. There's a whole other digit that usually gets left out, because they saw no need to write the entire long count for things thousands of years in the future, but on a handful of totems you can actually see the entire long count for the end of the world date, and it's not until the 3000s, so we're good for a while.

  12. Re:So what? by alnapp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mod +1 relieved

    Phew

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