A recent study published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that adenosine deaminase (ADA) can heighten the immune response against HIV by decreasing cellular action that inhibit defenses.
Repurposing prescription drugs may be a new strategy for developing HIV therapies. ADA, an enzyme, may be useful in “reminding” the immune system to stop the virus and may be used to help the immune system prevent infections.
“We hope this study puts ADA in the spotlight as a powerful immune modulator in vaccine strategies enhancing anti-HIV immune responses and limiting the need for life-lasting treatments,” Dr. Núria Climent, a researcher involved in the work from the Retrovirology and Viral Immunopathology Laboratory in Barcelona, Spain, said.
The researchers studied cells taken from people without HIV and people with HIV. When the cells received ADA and were
then exposed to HIV viruses, the results showed that ADA decreased the regulator T-cell mediated suppression.
“We need to find new strategies that will empower the immune system towards long-term control of HIV infection,” Dr. Luis Montaner, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, said. “The availability of an approved drug that already targets the mechanisms described here ensures the quick translation of this work from the bench to the clinical.”
