Emory University researchers have provided the first proof of concept in a nonhuman primate model for eliminating HIV-infected cells with venetoclax, a clinically approved cancer medication. Venetoclax effectively targets and blocks Bcl-2, a protein that not only regulates whether cells live or die but also promotes the survival of cancer cells. Similarly, Bcl-2 is a culprit in sustaining HIV cell reservoirs.

The research team determined that venetoclax is also effective at reducing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) reservoir levels in vivo when given as part of a combination treatment for HIV. The results are reported in Nature Microbiology, and two clinical trials are underway to test venetoclax in people living with HIV.

“Eliminating the viral reservoir is a priority in the pursuit of a cure for HIV,” says Mirko Paiardini, Ph.D., senior author. “Despite many attempts, there hasn’t been a therapeutic strategy able to do this. Our study, however, offers hope for accelerating the timeline for a cure by using an approved medication.”

It offers a “safe way to target chemo resistant tumors,” the study’s author Ozgur Sahin told Newsweek.

ADT

ARASENS trial.

Cabazitaxel.

CHAARTED

Chemotherapy.

Docetaxel.

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The finding could eventually enable the use of DNA packaging in cells for disease diagnosis and treatment.

In preserved cells, newly developed fluorescent probes allowed researchers to pinpoint individual dye molecules to within 3 nanometers, close to the width of the DNA double helix itself. The same molecules can also reveal how DNA is packaged and moves inside living cells, giving scientists a way to examine chromatin at resolutions that were previously difficult to achieve without killing the cells.

When the team tested the probes on wax-preserved bowel tissue from three cancer patients, they found another striking difference. DNA in the tumors appeared noticeably looser and more spread out than in healthy tissue immediately beside it. Other research has found that DNA progressively unpacks as cancer develops, raising the possibility that its degree of folding could eventually provide information about how advanced or aggressive a tumor is.