ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Virus Hunters have dedicated more than 26 years to staying ahead of viral threats such as HIV. Their continuous work led to the identification of a of HIV in 2019.
Now, we've found a unique group of people that may advance our understanding of HIV and pave the way toward a potential cure.
Our Virus Hunters, alongside researchers from the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Université Protestante au Congo (UPC), have identified a group of rare HIV carriers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who test positive for HIV antibodies, but have low to non-detectable viral load counts — without the use of antiretroviral treatment (ART).1
What this means is this group, known as HIV elite controllers, displays no symptoms. The disease doesn't progress or it progresses much slower for them.
Before the findings of this in EBioMedicine, only a few cases of HIV elite controllers were identified. By identifying a larger group in the DRC, researchers can look to understand more biological trends and hopefully uncover information that could lead to advancements in treatments and potentially vaccines.
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