Title of My Article-
New Research Opens the Door to "Functional Cure" for HIV

Source-
Sciencedaily.com with materials provided by Scripps Research Institute

~What This Article Is About~
This article is about how scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a new compound to treat HIV production in cells that could lead to a possible cure.

-How HIV Works-
HIV infects a cell and puts its genetic information into the cell's DNA. The cell will then start making more and more virus cells before it dies. It's so deadly because the virus attacks the immune system's cells.

–Where Is This Occurring-
The results of this event and the study surrounding it are occurring at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute.

-When Did This Happen-
The article was published on October 17, but the article gives no exact date as to when the experiments or research started. It does say, however, that tests have been performed on lab mice for just a month, which leads me to guess that they've been working on this for about 2-3 months.

FIVE INTERESTING FACTS

• The compound used to treat the HIV is called didehydro-Cortistatin A. They mix this compound with other anti-retrovirals to get the combination that halts reproduction of the virus.
• This compound inhibits Tat(the viral transcriptional activator) which halts the reproduction.
• The combination of dCA and the anti-retrovirals stopped viral rebound for up to 19 days after treatment was stopped, as opposed to only 7 days with just anti-retrovirals.
• The scientists had used the maximum tolerable amount of the combination with no resulting side effects.
• They call this treatment method "Block-and-Lock" as it prevents the virus from reactivating in cells and puts it in a state of latency.

~Why This Is Important~
This story is extremely important because HIV is a virus that can easily result in death. It would be a huge breakthrough if a cure to this virus was made and so many lives would be saved.

-What Happens Next-
The scientists believe that with a lot of treatment time, the rebound delays will become longer or even permanent. I'd have to agree in saying that once they start testing this for long periods of time, the rebound times will increase. After enough testing I believe they will be able to start using this on humans to stop HIV reproduction in them.

~My Question To You~
Why do people usually die after getting HIV?

-The Answer-
People usually die after getting HIV because it destroys the barrier against infection that the immune system provides for us. Since this barrier is removed, sicknesses that the immune system would normally be able to fight off can easily overwhelm the body and kill it.