San Francisco researchers find way to control HIV without drugs

Researchers at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital have reported promising results in an experimental study aimed at training the immune system to control HIV without daily antiretroviral drugs. The study, led by Dr. Steven Deeks, involved 10 participants who received intensive experimental treatments designed to strengthen various parts of their immune response, including therapeutic vaccines and laboratory-produced antibodies.

Following the treatment, participants ceased their daily antiretroviral medication. While HIV typically rebounds within weeks of stopping treatment, seven of the ten participants successfully kept the virus under control. Six participants maintained low viral levels for several months, and one participant showed no detectable levels of the virus after more than 18 months.

Despite these findings, researchers emphasize that this experimental approach is not currently an alternative to standard antiretroviral therapy and patients should not discontinue their medication. The study was small in scale and lacked a control group, but it provides a new direction for developing future treatments that could allow some individuals to manage the virus through immune mobilization.