WHU’s research on Gene Therapy of AIDS is likely to cure AIDS in the future. On May 17th, the Key Project on Prevention and Cure of AIDS initiated by China’s Health and Family Planning Commission—Gene Therapy of AIDS Based on Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell or Autologous Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell was launched in WHU.
Currently there is no specific or radical treatment for AIDS. Cocktail therapy has proved effective in easing pain and prolonging the life of patients. However, the treatment can only restrain the reproduction of the virus rather than destroying the virus completely. Gene therapy is one of the applicable methods to replace vaccine and medicinal treatment. Gene therapy makes it possible to insert one or more genes into the infected body to defend it against the AIDS virus.
Guo Deyin, the head of the project and dean of Basic Medical School, WHU introduced that the project mainly aimed to develop the core technology of generating highly-efficient autologous hematopoietic stem cells that can be stably resistant to AIDS virus with the autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells of the virus-carrier, establish and optimize the clinical project of the gene therapy and transform the therapy from fundamental research to clinical application, and eventually achieve the goal of curing AIDS.
The project has been jointly undertaken by WHU Basic Medical School, Fudan University State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Pasteur Institute, Zhongnan Hospital, Animal Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory, etc.
