New Strain of HIV Virus Discovered

Current advancements in HIV research have been made to find a cure for the well-known epidemic.

This month, American Gene Technologies have submitted a nearly 1,000-page document with the cure for HIV/AIDS.

Recent studies have also progressed this month to show a new type of HIV named subtype L of the HIV-1 M Group.

The subtype was found by researchers in Abbott Laboratories and the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

The Kansas City facility has analyzed almost 60 percent of the global blood supply, according to one of their scientists Mary Rogers.

Before the strain was classified as a subtype, the researchers had to take at least three proven examples of the sample they found.

The first two were pinpointed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1983 and 1990.

The third suspected case was also drawn from Congo in 2001, but it wasn’t a close enough match to the previous samples to be sure.

The strain is yet to be tested for its effects on the human body.

However, doctors have confirmed that current drug treatments can be used to be effective on subtype L.

“This discovery reminds us that to end the HIV pandemic, we must continue to out-think this continuously changing virus and use the latest advancements in technology and resources to monitor its evolution,” wrote study co-author Dr. Carole McArthur of UMKC in a press release.

The subtype will be used for further research.

In the meantime, the Kansas City researchers will start from this new lead to the cure for HIV/AIDS.

American Gene Technologies announced the submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in light of the new documentation.

The submission was sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or AGT’s lead HIV program.

AGT should hear from the FDA about continuing with the document’s propositions sometime before the end of this year.

If it’s approved, they will commence phase one of the clinical trial in January.

IMAGE COURTESY OF NEWS-MEDICAL.NET