A molecule that is currently being used to treat cancerous soft-tissue sarcomas may be the key for developing a cure for HIV.
This molecule, known as EBC-46, works by temporarily activating the HIV virus in the affected cells as they hide so that the body’s immune system can remove the virus, according to a study published recently in Science Advances.
“It’s pretty amazing,” says Paul Wender, a chemist at Stanford University. “In this new agent, we were seeing things that get up to 90 percent reactivation.”
The Need for Treatment
HIV is a virus that can eventually lead to the deadly condition AIDS. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 40 million people around the world are infected with HIV.
