Gammora drug yields positive result in killing HIV; 97% HIV in blood samples eliminated in 8 days
HIV cure is one of the most awaited medical breakthroughs. Researchers are working hard to find the cure and fight off the disease. Currently, it has been reported that AIDS and HIV patients might have hope as a new drug sheds light to cure the disease.
The "Gammora" drug which was developed at Hebrew University in Jerusalem is currently being tested by the experts at the in Rehovot, Kaplan Medical Center, according to Breaking Israel News.
In the experiment, the experts inserted the drug into the test tube that contains AIDS positive blood. The experts got the blood from ten patients who were currently under medication at the hospital.
In a report by Times of Israel, the researchers discovered that after they inserted the drug, there was a decrease of 97 percent in the HIV-positive blood samples in just a span of 8 days.
In the drug, the active ingredient is a smaller version of a protein or peptide. The drug was developed by Assaf Friedler and Abraham Loyter at the Hebrew University.
The effect of the peptide, it is responsible for making several copies of the virus's DNA. After which it enters the infected cell instead of just one, and the multiple cells caused the infected cell to self-destruct.
Currently, a cocktail of drugs was used to treat the HIV. However, it only slows down the progression of the infection within the body but does not wipe out the virus entirely from the patient. But, the drugs allow the doctors to ease the chronic illness compared to the fatal one.
Abraham Loyter explained, "With our approach, we are destroying the cells, so there is no chance that the virus will awaken one day because there are no cells, there will be no cells that contain the virus. The drug enhances certain processes in the body during the spreading of the virus and that enhancement kills certain cells."
However, further research should be done, because the Gammora drugs are not yet proven as a cure for HIV.