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IL-7 against XMRV?

Overstressed

Senior Member
Messages
406
Location
Belgium
Hi Redo,

I just googled, and this is one of the links I had found: http://www.hiv-reservoir.net/index....s-Eradication/il-7-an-hiv-disappointment.html
It's a recent report, though, I still question if Pellegrini's research is the same, or just based on IL-7. It seems to me, Pellegrini got a step further with the IL-7 research and discovered the SOCS-3 gene behaviour with respect to IL-7. On the other hand, the current trials are just administering IL-7, where Pellegrini clearly talks about switching SOCS-3 on/off for little time periods, in order to get the T-cells grouped together to fight the virus off. He does this because otherwise there will be a HUGE immune reaction, when you abruptly switch off SOCS-3, and this might be causing more damage to our system than the virus does.

So, to me, Pellegrini brought the IL-7 research a (huge) step further, in my humble opinion.

Concerning the cancer, I must say that I heard this here on the national radio, where HIV-specialists had spoken about the current and future therapies. They said, although HAART keeps the virus good under control, it doesn't do that with the cancer. More, they exactly can predict WHEN HIV-infected people would get cancer, and that was infection date + 35 years.

I don't know whether this is applicable to all infected ones, because genetics play also a role, I think. However, I'm not a doctor, I just try to give the information as it was said.

Take good care,
OS.
 

redo

Senior Member
Messages
874
Well, my point was that it doesn't seem to be all that important if the IL-7 reaches the reservoirs or not.
If we compare the IL-7 to a "call to the police" (and the police being the T-cells), then it doesn't matter if the IL-7 can reach everywhere in the body, because it's the T-cells (and other immune response) which fights off the infection, and not the IL-7 itself...

The article on hiv-reservoir.net states that after the IL-7 administration the HIV reservoirs weren't eradicated. But that doesn't mean that it's because the IL-7 doesn't reach the reservoirs...
 

Overstressed

Senior Member
Messages
406
Location
Belgium
Hi redo,

yes, you're right. Anyhow, the message is, the immune respons is not touching the reservoirs. Perhaps Pellegrini has more success by manipulating the SOCS-3 gene. Hopefully...

OS.
 

Gemini

Senior Member
Messages
1,176
Location
East Coast USA

Overstressed

Senior Member
Messages
406
Location
Belgium
More news from the Cytheris Company:

http://www.cytheris.com/PDF/CYTHERIS_110301_CROI_2011En.pdf

If I interprete the pre-results correctly, then this is HUGE! If IL-7 can increase CD4s cells in the gut, then this means one of the reservoirs is being attacked by only 3 injections of IL-7. It was said that the gut was one of the HIV-reservoirs.

Now, personally, I think that IL-7 should do a good job for us too, despite the fact we already might have high IL-7 levels. It looks like the gut is also one of the known hiding places of XMRV. And if it's not the direct effect to XMRV, IL-7 might show huge benefits to herpes-viruses, by eradicating them, and this in turn should silence XMRV also.

Again, great news for the sufferers of HIV!

OS.
 

Overstressed

Senior Member
Messages
406
Location
Belgium
Lately, I have been looking for cytokine profiles of various virus infections, and the results were quite surprising. It looks like IL-7 is INCREASED in HIV+ too, as it seems with us. And yet, the IL-7 treatment for HIV+ turns out to be very effective.

On the other hand, it looks like IL-7 levels of HTLV infected people are DECREASED. In fact, it was the only chronic infection I came across where IL-7 was downregulated.

OS.
 

Overstressed

Senior Member
Messages
406
Location
Belgium
New press release(March 8, 2012) of phase 2 trials in chronically infected HIV-patients, non-responders:

Data from INSPIRE 2 HIV Study Show That CYT107 Administration Can
Significantly Expand CD4 and CD8 T-cells While Increasing the Expression of
Gut Homing Molecules That May Result in the Restoration of the CD4 T-cell
Population of the Gut Mucosa


http://www.cytheris.com/PDF/Cytheris CROI12 120208 FINAL EN.pdf

Again, great news, and already phase 2 trials.


Best regards,
OS.
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
thanks! very nice. they have an eramune trial going on also, where they are seeing if they can actually eradicate!