Health
A Single Infusion Could Suppress H.I.V. for Years, Study Suggests
For about a decade, scientists have had remarkable success curing some blood cancers by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and kill the malignant cells.
That same approach may help control H.I.V., among the wiliest of viruses, scientists will report on Tuesday. After a single infusion of immune cells engineered to recognize the virus, two people in a new study have suppressed their H.I.V. to undetectable levels, one of them for nearly two years.
The data is scheduled to be presented at a gene therapy conference in Boston, but the researchers shared an early copy with The New York Times.
The treatment is years, if not decades, from being widely available, but the study offers what scientists call “proof of concept,” and the tantalizing hope that a single shot could one day offer lifelong relief from H.I.V.
“It is inspiration and a potential road map to get to where we need to go,” said Dr. Steve Deeks, an H.I.V. expert at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the trial.
Other scientists were enthusiastic about the milestone.
“It’s truly amazing that they were able to accomplish this,” said Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem, an oncologist and gene therapy expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who was not involved in the study.
H.I.V. requires lifelong control because the virus hides out in deep recesses of the body, and comes roaring back when it sees an opportunity. It also mutates easily to evade its attackers.
More than 40 million people are living with H.I.V. worldwide. About three-fourths of them take daily oral pills to keep the virus in check, and a much smaller proportion now receive injections every month or two. Several companies are developing longer-acting options, including weekly and monthly pills, and shots that could be given just once a year.
But scientists still aspire to develop “functional cures” that would effectively control H.I.V. over a lifetime, even if they do not eliminate it.
“People are really working hard on trying to cure it, and we’re making progress,” said James Riley, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who is also modifying immune cells to control H.I.V.
Since the 1990s, many scientists have tried to modify immune cells called T cells to attack H.I.V., but those efforts were mostly unsuccessful. Some research teams lost interest after the arrival of powerful antiretroviral drugs soon after.
Cancer researchers soldiered on and succeeded in using the approach against blood cancers like leukemia.
“Cancer will always probably be the pioneer in this stuff, because of the incredible unmet medical need,” Dr. Riley said.
In the new study, scientists at Caring Cross, a nonprofit focused on developing affordable immunotherapies, engineered immune cells from each study participant to carry two molecules on the cell surface. Both molecules bind to H.I.V. and kill infected cells, but one also prevents the immune cells from becoming infected.
“It’s this dual nature of targeting — killing and protecting — that we think is the missing piece in terms of how this therapy works,” said Boro Dropulić, the executive director of Caring Cross, who developed the method.
The researchers extracted immune cells from each participant, modified the cells, then injected them back in. The participants stopped taking antiretroviral drugs the day of the infusion.
If a person does not take antiretroviral drugs, their H.I.V. levels typically soar within two weeks. But one person in the trial partially suppressed the virus for 12 weeks before rebounding. Two others were still in remission, 92 and 48 weeks after their infusion.
All three had begun receiving antiretroviral therapy within months of being infected. Three others who had lived with H.I.V. for longer before they were treated did not respond and needed to resume antiretroviral therapy. (A seventh participant showed signs of control seven weeks after infusion.)
Those details may be important. Those who were treated early in infection may have less H.I.V. sequestered in their body. Their immune system may also be less ravaged by the virus, and therefore more likely to rally when infused with the modified cells.
“Three out of three people with early disease doing some degree of control, to me, is the most provocative finding here,” Dr. Deeks said.
The two people with long-term response did show some blips of viral replication that quickly died down. That is to be expected as H.I.V. emerges from its reservoirs and is quashed by the immune cells.
Still, the results were exciting, several experts said.
The numbers in the study are very small but “these n-of-ones are so powerful because they encourage further research,” said Dr. Mike McCune, the head of a division at the Gates Foundation that supports innovation in H.I.V.
“For us, what’s important is to make sure that we can go from an n-of-one to an n-of-a-million or more,” he said. “And the only way to do that is to engage companies that know how to make products.”
The foundation has not invested in work that involves removing immune cells and reinfusing them back into the individual. That approach is too invasive and expensive to reach the millions who will need it, Dr. McCune said. But it is actively pursuing scalable options.
Cancer researchers are already showing success altering the immune cells while they are still in the body, which should eventually be cheaper by orders of magnitude.
The direct injections could be produced “for less than $10,000 and then be off-the-shelf, meaning you can have them ready when a patient or person living with H.I.V. comes in,” Dr. Kiem said.
Other groups are working on broadly neutralizing antibodies, rare molecules that can disable a wide range of H.I.V. versions by targeting parts of the virus that do not mutate.
“If we can combine these two approaches, that really may be synergistic and provide a pathway to deliver something close to a functional cure long term,” Dr. Riley said.
Anticipating long-term needs, Caring Cross is working with organizations in Brazil, India and elsewhere to manufacture the products for cancer at much lower costs. The team is also refining the tools and approach for H.I.V. and plans to begin a bigger study later this year.
“This is a first-in-human approach,” Dr. Deeks said. “We often come up with new theories as we do this, and that’s what’s happening as we speak.”
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Potentially deadly sepsis may be more likely in certain patients due to problems in the gut.
Researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology’s Infectious Disease Research Center used female mouse models to investigate why sepsis outcomes can vary so dramatically.
The study, published in the journal Nature, looked at genetically similar mice with different gut microbiomes. The mice were infected with Acinetobacter baumannii — a highly resilient bacterium that can lead to sepsis.
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The researchers compared groups of mice with higher and lower survival rates, examining differences in their gut microbiomes, the amount of bacteria in their blood and organs, and other cellular markers, according to the study press release.
Gut health could signal severe sepsis prior to infection, the study suggests. (iStock)
Measures of risk
Although some mice were genetically similar, the more vulnerable mice had a higher concentration of Muribaculaceae bacteria in the gut. In one comparison, these bacteria made up about 28% of the microbiome in poor surviving mice, but only 0.15% in better surviving mice.
Mice with worse survival showed an early and strong inflammatory response, which later led to more bacteria in the blood, lungs and spleen. This suggests that the microbiome causes the immune system to be more reactive, according to the researchers.
GUT MICROBES COULD BE KEY TO FIGHTING TOXIC, LONG-LASTING ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS,’ RESEARCH SAYS
In the microbiome of mice with worse survival, the researchers also noticed that one strain of bacteria — Sangeribacter muris KT1-3 — was most prominent. The mice that typically survived at high rates fared much worse when housed with KTI-3 mice, with their survival falling to 10%.
More vulnerable mice had a higher concentration of Muribaculaceae bacteria in the gut. (iStock)
This bacterial strain also appeared to worsen inflammation during certain infections, making sepsis more severe.
These findings suggest that the gut microbiome can signal how the immune system will react before an infection begins.
The microbiome’s surprising influence
Andrew Fleming, MD, section chief of Infectious Diseases & Immunology at NYU Langone Hospital, Brooklyn, said it has been “known for years” that gut bacteria and bacterial toxins can be released into the bloodstream during sepsis.
This worsens the inflammatory response to the initial infection, according to Fleming, who was not involved in the study.
5 GUT-BOOSTING FRUITS TO EAT MORE OF IN 2026 FOR BETTER DIGESTION, EXPERTS SAY
“This process is particularly important in septic shock, where the intestinal wall becomes more permeable to translocation (or leaking) of bacterial products,” Fleming said.
Interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system are “complex and variable from person to person,” the doctor described.
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“But there is mounting evidence that a diverse and healthy gut microbiome – the community of bacteria that lives in a person’s gut – is protective in some ways against severe sepsis,” he went on. “And a dysregulated microbiome – for example, one severely altered by antibiotics – can impair or worsen the immune system’s response during sepsis.”
Interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system are “complex and variable from person to person,” a doctor described. (iStock)
Scientists are starting to think of the gut microbiome “almost as a living organ,” according to Fleming, much like the heart, kidneys or liver, all serving “multiple functions” to keep the body healthy.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
An unhealthy microbiome can have “detrimental effects across a range of health issues,” he added – including how the body responds to infections.
“Compared to our other organs, we currently have fewer readily available tests in the doctor’s office to measure the health of our microbiome,” Fleming said. “However, this should not prevent us from thinking about our gut microbiome and how to keep it healthy.”
The role of antibiotics
The use of antibiotics has “major and long-lasting effects” on the microbiome, Fleming noted. Up to 80% of adults in the U.S. are prescribed an antibiotic every year, while 30% are estimated to be unnecessary, according to the CDC.
“Antibiotics deplete the diversity of the microbiome and create a void in the gut microbial community that can be filled by harmful bacteria from the environment,” the doctor told Fox News Digital.
Antibiotics “deplete the diversity of the microbiome and create a void in the gut microbial community that can be filled by harmful bacteria from the environment,” the doctor said. (iStock)
“We must begin to think much more critically about our antibiotic use and overuse, both to maintain our gut health and to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.”
The study findings are an “intriguing starting point to further research,” Fleming said, although there were some key limitations.
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“Sangeribacter muris is not typically found in humans, so the exact mechanism of this bacterial strain worsening sepsis that is demonstrated in this study cannot be directly extrapolated to people,” he said. “Well-designed clinical trials should be conducted to explore how similar gut microbiome effects may play out in sepsis in humans.”
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Despite these limitations, the doctor said he supports the hypothesis that maintaining a healthy gut microbiome can help keep the immune system well-regulated while reducing the risk of developing severe sepsis.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Potentially deadly sepsis may be more likely in certain patients due to problems in the gut.
Researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology’s Infectious Disease Research Center used female mouse models to investigate why sepsis outcomes can vary so dramatically.
The study, published in the journal Nature, looked at genetically similar mice with different gut microbiomes. The mice were infected with Acinetobacter baumannii — a highly resilient bacterium that can lead to sepsis.
ER DOCTOR REVEALS HOW PNEUMONIA CAN SUDDENLY TURN DEADLY AFTER KYLE BUSCH’S DEATH
The researchers compared groups of mice with higher and lower survival rates, examining differences in their gut microbiomes, the amount of bacteria in their blood and organs, and other cellular markers, according to the study press release.
Gut health could signal severe sepsis prior to infection, the study suggests. (iStock)
Measures of risk
Although some mice were genetically similar, the more vulnerable mice had a higher concentration of Muribaculaceae bacteria in the gut. In one comparison, these bacteria made up about 28% of the microbiome in poor surviving mice, but only 0.15% in better surviving mice.
Mice with worse survival showed an early and strong inflammatory response, which later led to more bacteria in the blood, lungs and spleen. This suggests that the microbiome causes the immune system to be more reactive, according to the researchers.
GUT MICROBES COULD BE KEY TO FIGHTING TOXIC, LONG-LASTING ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS,’ RESEARCH SAYS
In the microbiome of mice with worse survival, the researchers also noticed that one strain of bacteria — Sangeribacter muris KT1-3 — was most prominent. The mice that typically survived at high rates fared much worse when housed with KTI-3 mice, with their survival falling to 10%.
More vulnerable mice had a higher concentration of Muribaculaceae bacteria in the gut. (iStock)
This bacterial strain also appeared to worsen inflammation during certain infections, making sepsis more severe.
These findings suggest that the gut microbiome can signal how the immune system will react before an infection begins.
The microbiome’s surprising influence
Andrew Fleming, MD, section chief of Infectious Diseases & Immunology at NYU Langone Hospital, Brooklyn, said it has been “known for years” that gut bacteria and bacterial toxins can be released into the bloodstream during sepsis.
This worsens the inflammatory response to the initial infection, according to Fleming, who was not involved in the study.
5 GUT-BOOSTING FRUITS TO EAT MORE OF IN 2026 FOR BETTER DIGESTION, EXPERTS SAY
“This process is particularly important in septic shock, where the intestinal wall becomes more permeable to translocation (or leaking) of bacterial products,” Fleming said.
Interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system are “complex and variable from person to person,” the doctor described.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“But there is mounting evidence that a diverse and healthy gut microbiome – the community of bacteria that lives in a person’s gut – is protective in some ways against severe sepsis,” he went on. “And a dysregulated microbiome – for example, one severely altered by antibiotics – can impair or worsen the immune system’s response during sepsis.”
Interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system are “complex and variable from person to person,” a doctor described. (iStock)
Scientists are starting to think of the gut microbiome “almost as a living organ,” according to Fleming, much like the heart, kidneys or liver, all serving “multiple functions” to keep the body healthy.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
An unhealthy microbiome can have “detrimental effects across a range of health issues,” he added – including how the body responds to infections.
“Compared to our other organs, we currently have fewer readily available tests in the doctor’s office to measure the health of our microbiome,” Fleming said. “However, this should not prevent us from thinking about our gut microbiome and how to keep it healthy.”
The role of antibiotics
The use of antibiotics has “major and long-lasting effects” on the microbiome, Fleming noted. Up to 80% of adults in the U.S. are prescribed an antibiotic every year, while 30% are estimated to be unnecessary, according to the CDC.
“Antibiotics deplete the diversity of the microbiome and create a void in the gut microbial community that can be filled by harmful bacteria from the environment,” the doctor told Fox News Digital.
Antibiotics “deplete the diversity of the microbiome and create a void in the gut microbial community that can be filled by harmful bacteria from the environment,” the doctor said. (iStock)
“We must begin to think much more critically about our antibiotic use and overuse, both to maintain our gut health and to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.”
The study findings are an “intriguing starting point to further research,” Fleming said, although there were some key limitations.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Sangeribacter muris is not typically found in humans, so the exact mechanism of this bacterial strain worsening sepsis that is demonstrated in this study cannot be directly extrapolated to people,” he said. “Well-designed clinical trials should be conducted to explore how similar gut microbiome effects may play out in sepsis in humans.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Despite these limitations, the doctor said he supports the hypothesis that maintaining a healthy gut microbiome can help keep the immune system well-regulated while reducing the risk of developing severe sepsis.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The old saying that laughter is the best medicine may be true, according to new research that suggests it is also a vital catalyst for children’s development.
Laughter and play are fundamental to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being and social bonding, according to Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London.
In her book, “The Brain That Loves to Laugh,” Harding argues that joy is a complex biological phenomenon that helps children navigate stress and build more resilient, receptive minds, news agency SWNS reported.
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“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting and growing,” Harding told SWNS.
“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development.”
Laughter alters internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones and boosting feel-good chemicals like serotonin, experts say. (iStock)
Laughter activates broad brain networks, including motor regions and the prefrontal cortex, long before children learn to speak. By helping the brain resolve conflicting ideas, it boosts creativity and engages working memory, acting as a “mental workout,” experts say.
At a molecular level, laughter alters the internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. It also increases “happiness chemicals” like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.
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Additionally, laughter is known to boost oxytocin, which deepens emotional bonds between parents and children.
Prolonged stress does the exact opposite: It impairs learning, suppresses immune function and alters the developing limbic system, which governs emotion and long-term memory, according to SWNS.
Prolonged stress can negatively impact not only children’s mental well-being, but their physical state as well. (iStock)
“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world,” Harding said.
Parents can foster these benefits through moments of spontaneous play and joyful connection, the expert advised.
“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress.”
These interactions do more than spark laughter — they help children develop emotional regulation, strengthen feelings of safety and connection, and support social and cognitive development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain,” Harding said. “Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive.”
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This shared joy also establishes “co-regulation,” where a child learns to manage their own stress by drawing on a biological store of positive early experiences.
Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain, the expert said. (iStock)
Harding advocates for integrating humor directly into classrooms to reduce cognitive load and improve how children retain key concepts.
By uplifting the nervous system, joy creates an optimal environment for information absorption, as the SWNS piece noted.
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“Safe relationships and non-stressful play environments promote learning,” she added.
“The curriculum must never be prioritized over those two fundamental factors.”
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