Fresh Foods For Thought
Here Search For A Cure will post short soundbites of relevant topics to the community as they emerge.
We will in the spirit of being current, not have definitive resolutions to the issues we address or clear uses for the opportunities we identify herein, but the content will present real merit on the ground as we see them. Stay informed, and if you would like to write an editorial yourself, please email the copy to chris@sfac.org with the subject: food for thought. Thank you and stay informed.
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Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies represent the future of long-term antiretrovirals (ARVs).
In review, a virus causes HIV, and up till now we have had only one real type of medicine that works for it, short-term ARVs. There are seven different kinds of short-term ARV's, one thing they all have in common is that they only last briefly in the human body, and as a result have to be taken every day.
So why do monoclonal antibodies last so long in the body? The answer is because they are what the immune system naturally produces to fight infection, so your body is used to them being around. Short-term ARV's, like what we have now for HIV, are small molecules that the body is not used to having around and rapidly disposes of.
Monoclonal antibodies are a critical therapy and we feel it is more important than ever to start to create some political will to see this line of therapy pursued as prevention and treatment for the domestic and global community.
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Legislative Efforts
Human beings are an organism consisting of many organisms, otherwise known as a superorganism.
Our individual health is indisputably linked to the health of our collective, and infectious diseases drive this point home more than any other threat to our well being.
HIV like many other illnesses is a threat that we already have tools to manage, but that requires coordinated behavioral changes to eliminate. So far the military is the only American institution that has been able to successfully coordinate its operations consistently and uniformly. If we want to ever be able to manage our public well being we will have to evolve our social abiliity to address such threats in a concentrated way, with a unified methodology.
Of course scientifically with specific measurable outcomes.
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Chemoprophylaxis
Emerging Data and Information on Pre and Post Exposure Prophylaxis,
(using HIV Medication before or right after exposure to prevent infection)
The iPrex studies concluded 2011 showed that patients who had drug in their blood (that is who were actually taking the medicine) showed over 90% success in preventing HIV transmission.
-the recommended use of ARV's for prevention for now are to be used everyday like birthcontrol, rather than once like the morning after pill-
-->the benefits of 'disco dossing', use only as needed is still being clincally tested, but with indications of that it will be a viable option
Read on to learn more and especially explore on your own.
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Needle Use and Safety
For years and years the debate raged on and is still discussed whether providing clean needle alternatives and education would encourage IV drug use and would result in more infections or if it would reduce them?
Years and years of behavioral research and data have conclusively shown that needle exchange programs and education result definitevely in less infections, not in more.
Furthermore, needle stick injuries are among the most common forms of transmissions in hospital settings per year.
Perhaps we should have a mandate to only allow the production and use of retractable one-time-use needles for the safety of everyone involved?
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HIV Testing
Why is it that you can go to any pharmacy and have your pick of over the counter pregnancy tests, drug tests, even at home baby sex tests to see if it will be a boy or a girl, but you can not buy an HIV test and take it yourself when you want in the privacy of your own home?
Because you are not smart enough to do it? Because you need to be protected from yourself? Because if teenagers find out they are HIV positive they will commit suicide and it is easier to refuse everyone the liberty to test themselves than to address the glaring cultural error that must exist if something is so stigmatized and people are so uneducated about it that they would take their own life over what today is simply a very well understood viral infection?
The tests exist. This virus should not anymore. Frequent testing and the end of fear through education are paramount to eliminating this virus as a threat once and for all, and we can do it.
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Test and Treat
All of the studies are showing and pointing to the affect that when we treat HIV patients and if they take their medicines appropriately such that their viral load is below 500 viral particles per milliliter of blood, then they are essentially non-infectious. They are non-infectious anyway through most means of contact except through needle sticks, sexual contact, or breast feeding.
But treating early and rendering patients non-infectious reduces the ability for them to transmit the virus so treating patients is preventing new infections.
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Microbicide Gel
Topical application of antiretroviral medicine in gel form has recently undergone studies and is showing very promising results. The medicine studied showed high protective potential using very low concentrations of drug. There is much promise that if research is continued and expanded we could have a very powerful antiviral gel that could double as a lubricant for sex. It can be inserted vaginally or rectally early in the day in secret for people to protect themselves from infected spouses in countries where they can not refuse sex or similarly for sex workers.
Having another antiviral method to block infection can reduce new transmissions and get us closer to seeing a complete end to the disease.
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Cure Research
A Man Has Been Cured!
There is great hope for a cure to HIV, and through continued investment in research it will be acheived.
There are two hurdles to overcome
1. There is not enough money being invested in cure research, it is minimal
2. The capitalistic nature of America results in seeking a cure that will make the most profit instead of save the most lives, and that ultimately will be unobtainable by the neediest and most affected, which will prolong the existence and threat of this virus substantially and unnecessarily.
It is Search For A Cure's objective to see this averted, but it is your role to play to demand it so from your society.
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Condoms and Lubricant
Everyone should have been informed of the many benefits of condom use, condoms are abstinence light or touching without touching (as close as you can get). Anacedotally, people who have a low success in mating or who have a hard time becoming sexual with partners are more likely to feel that each possible encounter is very important and tend to be willing to take more sexual risks because they don't want to miss the opportunity, or have less practice and talk about sex less with friends so they are not sure what to do or how important condom use really is.
Take the time to educate yourself about proper protective measures, and find a way to talk about it with your friends, family or medical professionals. Do not be embarrassed to admit what you do not know or are not sure about and to ask questions, it may be embarassing at first, but will be worth it to you in the long run.
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Vacinne Research
We have had some promise with vaccine research lately, but this is now 20 years since we thought we would be able to just kill some virus, put it in there to prime the immune system for it, and have a vaccine in 2 years. The complexity of HIV is such that we need to advance our knowledge of the human immune system in order to respectfully be able to prevent HIV infection with a vaccination.
In the end, a vaccine nor a cure will be enough to eliminate the virus from circulation within the population. The expense and difficulty of the medical intervention will be barriers, and the number of people involved make it impractical. That is why a true effort to eradicate this virus will have to be the result of a collective behavioral approach using all of the technologies for transmisison intervention combined.
It can be done. When all these people decide to work together, they can be unstoppable.
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