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In a groundbreaking discovery, a team of researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist has identified a cancer therapy that is safe for patients battling both HIV and tuberculosis (TB). The study, conducted by Professor Smriti Mehra of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, highlights a novel approach to controlling TB without interfering with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), a standard treatment for HIV.
The results, published in the journal JCI Insight, are particularly significant for immunocompromised individuals, who are vulnerable to recurrent TB infections. TB, responsible for more than 1.3 million deaths annually, poses a substantial risk to those living with HIV. While TB can often be treated with antibiotics, the infection frequently resurfaces in HIV patients, leading to life-threatening complications.
“This is an important hurdle that this host-directed therapy had to clear in order to help patients battling both HIV and TB,” said Professor Mehra, emphasizing the importance of this discovery in addressing one of the critical challenges in HIV treatment.
The therapy revolves around inhibiting a protein called Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), which is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cancer treatment. IDO is known to suppress the immune system, helping the body avoid excessive inflammation and organ damage. The research team’s focus was to see if temporarily blocking IDO could enhance the immune response without negative consequences for HIV or TB patients.
The study, conducted on nonhuman primates infected with both TB and the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the animal equivalent of HIV, yielded promising results. Animals that were treated with cART alongside the IDO inhibitor showed no increase in viral load compared to those on cART alone. This confirms the therapy does not interfere with HIV treatment, a critical factor for its potential use in human patients.
The therapy could become a significant tool in managing TB in HIV-positive patients. Given that both diseases disproportionately affect populations in lower-income countries, this development offers hope for improved health outcomes in regions hardest hit by these epidemics.
Mehra’s team had previously demonstrated that IDO inhibition, combined with antibiotics, improved TB control in earlier studies. This recent breakthrough builds on that research by ensuring the therapy can be safely administered to HIV patients. However, the scientists emphasized the need for further long-term studies to assess any potential side effects of prolonged IDO inhibition.
If proven successful in clinical trials, this approach could transform the way TB is managed in HIV patients, providing a safer, more effective treatment option and potentially reducing the global burden of TB in high-risk populations.
With the therapy already approved for cancer, there is optimism that regulatory pathways could be expedited for its use in HIV and TB cases, pending further studies.
This discovery comes at a crucial time, as the world continues to grapple with the challenges of infectious diseases, and underscores the importance of innovative, cross-disciplinary approaches to global health crises.
