A team of researchers at University of Alberta have identified a human gene called TRIM 22 that blocks HIV infection in cell culture by preventing the assembly of the virus.
Harvard Medical School researchers have identified a gene in Asian macaque monkeys may have evolved as protection against a group of viruses that includes HIV, suggesting that the current AIDS epidemic is not unique to humans and that similar epidemics may have affected our primate ancestors.
In a finding that could have profound implications for HIV vaccine research, US scientists say they have found a site on HIV’s outer coating which is vulnerable to antibodies that could effectively neutralise the virus and prevent it from infecting human cells.