{"id":134,"date":"2012-11-13T20:34:01","date_gmt":"2012-11-13T20:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2012\/?p=134"},"modified":"2013-05-09T16:04:41","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T16:04:41","slug":"developing-hiv-blocking-bacteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2012\/developing-hiv-blocking-bacteria\/","title":{"rendered":"

Developing<\/h2>

HIV-blocking Bacteria<\/h1>"},"content":{"rendered":"

People with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are living longer, better lives through powerful drug therapies. But preventing HIV infections has lagged. UNL virologist Shi-hua Xiang is closing in on a promising prevention strategy that uses bacteria already living in our bodies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHIV infects 2.6 million people worldwide each year,\u201d said Xiang, a Nebraska Center for Virology researcher. \u201cOur long-term goal is to block HIV sexual transmission using a safe, cost-effective and easy-to-use method.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shi-hua Xiang<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During the infection process, HIV binds to an immune system protein called CD4. Xiang has engineered Lactobacillus, a common bacterium found in human genitals and the gastrointestinal tract, to produce CD4 on its cellular surface.<\/p>\n

Inside the body, the engineered anti-HIV bacteria should act as decoys, enticing HIV to bind
\nharmlessly to them and preventing it from infecting human cells.<\/p>\n

Lactobacilli live naturally in mucosal areas where HIV enters the body, so anti-HIV bacteria should be safe for people and efficiently colonize to provide long-lasting protection. The lactobacilli could be taken orally, providing an effective preventive approach in low-resource settings like developing countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis also speaks to the translational and applied nature of our research that ultimately benefits human health and will save lives.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Earlier, Xiang demonstrated at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute that HIV binds to bacterial CD4 and blocks HIV infection in tissue culture. With a $611,000 Phase II award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation\u2019s Grand Challenges Explorations grant, he is testing his system in mice and, if successful, in non-human primates, before it moves to human clinical trials.<\/p>\n

Grand Challenges grants are given to support innovative research that seeks solutions to
\nmajor global health issues. Xiang said the Nebraska Center for Virology provided valuable collaborations and state-of-the-art equipment that advanced his research.<\/p>\n