Natural killer cells identified as combating HIV infection

A study announced on August 3, conducted by researchers from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University revealed a new development pertinent to the immune system's ability to combat HIV.

This research, published an issue of the journal Nature released a day later, identified natural killer (NK) cells with specific receptor molecules as contributing to the body's response against HIV. NK cells are an element of the innate immune system, differing from the T cells and antibodies in the adaptive immune system.

HIV strains infecting individuals with these particular NK cells had mutated to survive the cells' attack.

Previous research has confirmed NK cell-capabilities in fighting HIV. The specific nature of how the cells work to suppress the infection is not yet known, but Marcus Atfield, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study, has remained positive.

"This study suggests for the first time that NK cells can impose immune pressure on HIV, something that had previously been described only for T cells and antibodies," Atfield said

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that untreated patients with HIV may develop AIDS within a varying time ranging from a few months to several years, with a median time estimated at 11 years.