A ‘Functional Cure’ For HIV? 64 People In Genome Study Suppressed Infection Without Drugs

The New York Times: A Woman May Have Been Cured Of H.I.V. Without Medical Treatment 
A woman who was infected with H.I.V. in 1992 may be the first person cured of the virus without a risky bone-marrow transplant or even medications, researchers reported on Wednesday. In an additional 63 people in their study who controlled the infection without drugs, H.I.V. apparently was sequestered in the body in such a way that it could not reproduce, the scientists also reported. The finding suggested that these people may have achieved a “functional cure.” (Mandavilli, 8/26)

Science: How ‘Elite Controllers’ Tame HIV Without Drugs 
A tiny fraction of the 38 million HIV-infected people in the world have what seems like a superpower. Without the help of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, they keep the AIDS virus at undetectable levels in their blood, sometimes for many years, even though they still have HIV genes woven into their chromosomes. Now, the most in-depth genomic analysis of these rare individuals, who account for less than 0.5% of all HIV infections, reveals a clue to their success, which scientists hope will ultimately lead to new strategies to corral the virus in others. (Cohen, 8/26)

Read the research article here: Distinct viral reservoirs in individuals with spontaneous control of HIV-1

In other research and science news —

NPR: From Southern Hemisphere, Hints That U.S. May Be Spared Flu On Top Of COVID-19
This year's flu season in the Southern Hemisphere was weirdly mild. A surprisingly small number of people in the Southern Hemisphere have gotten the flu this year, probably because the public health measures put in place to fight COVID-19 have also limited the spread of influenza. That makes public health experts hopeful that the U. S. and other northern countries might be spared the double whammy of COVID-19 and a bad flu season this winter. (Greenfieldboyce, 8/26)

Stat: Foundation Medicine Wins FDA Approval For Liquid Biopsy Able To Detect Mutations In Multiple Cancers
he Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a comprehensive “liquid biopsy” platform that can detect multiple kinds of cancer and genomic alterations from pieces of tumor DNA circulating in a patient’s blood. The Foundation Medicine test, designed to identify specific types of cancer and match patients’ mutations to genetically targeted therapies, joins one approved earlier this month developed by Guardant Health. The FDA has previously approved liquid biopsy tests for individual cancers and as so-called companion diagnostics, which identify whether patients are likely to benefit from a specific targeted drug. Foundation Medicine, a Cambridge, Mass., unit of Swiss biopharma Roche, has won the agency’s second nod for a pan-cancer blood assay, which combines liquid biopsy with other kinds of testing to find more diagnostic and genomic biomarkers. (Cooney, 8/26)

Stat: Scientists Create A Synthetic Intestinal Lining To Make Delivering Drugs Easier
Scientists have created a synthetic small intestinal lining designed to treat certain digestive diseases or make it easier for the body to absorb certain drugs — all contained in a solution that one day be could be gulped down in a single drink. The small intestine is involved in a wide range of health conditions — from lactose intolerance to parasitic infections — and also plays a part in processing drugs. The new solution sticks to the lining of the small intestine and can be loaded up with drugs. (Gopalakrishna, 8/26)

CNN: Artificial Pancreas Helps Children As Young As 6 With Type 1 Diabetes Better Control Blood Sugar Levels, Study Finds 
An artificial pancreas system is safe and helped children as young as six with type 1 diabetes better control blood sugar levels, according to a new study from researchers at four pediatric diabetes centers in the United States. The study was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Erdman, 8/27)