New HIV Treatment Targets Infected Cells

A new HIV treatment created by a team of Israeli researchers only kills the infected cells. It uses small pieces of proteins called peptides that enter the cell and increase the number of times the virus replicates, leading to the infected cell to self-destruct and leaves healthy cells unharmed. Abraham Loyter, one of the researchers, pointed out that "The usual medications kill the virus that has entered the body during infection and the (peptide) treatment allows cells infected with the genetic load of the virus to be killed." when he said This method has only been done in human cells infected with HIV, so more studies will need to be done in humans and animals to see if it is safe and effective. The study has been published in the British Journal “AIDS Research and Therapy.”