{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1787344,
        "msgid": "scientists-study-rare-individuals-naturally-immune-to-hiv-1780671059",
        "date": "2026-06-05 20:50:00",
        "title": "Scientists Study Rare Individuals Naturally Immune to HIV",
        "author": "Wisnu Arto Subari",
        "source": "MEDIA_INDONESIA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Technology",
        "summary": "Researchers are focusing on a tiny fraction of HIV-positive individuals, known as elite controllers, whose immune systems can naturally suppress the virus without medication. Analysis of one such patient, Loreen Willenberg, revealed no viable virus after decades, with her immune cells sequestering HIV in dormant sections of DNA. The findings offer promising new directions for developing a definitive cure for the disease.",
        "content": "<p>Scientists are now focusing their research on a small, extraordinary\ngroup of individuals whose bodies are capable of defending themselves\nnaturally against HIV. This rare phenomenon offers new hope for the\ndevelopment of a complete cure in the future. For more than three\ndecades, Loreen Willenberg, a 71-year-old landscape designer from\nSacramento, California, was a medical anomaly that attracted the world\u2019s\nattention. Willenberg tested positive for HIV in 1992. However, instead\nof the virus crippling her immune system, HIV remained suppressed inside\nher body without the aid of medication for decades. Willenberg, who\npassed away in April 2026, was one of the most famous figures in a group\nknown as elite controllers. This group comprises only about 0.5% of all\npeople infected with HIV worldwide. Their bodies possess a unique\nability to keep the virus under control without medical intervention. At\nthe International AIDS Society 2025 conference, Xu Yu, a professor of\nmedicine from the Ragon Institute (a collaboration between Mass General\nBrigham, MIT, and Harvard), stated that Willenberg was most likely\ncompletely cleared of HIV. After analysing billions of cells, the\nresearch team found no trace of viable virus. In-depth research revealed\nthat elite controllers have a highly robust adaptive immune system,\nparticularly CD8+ T cells. These cells are capable of steering the HIV\nvirus into segments of DNA known as gene deserts. Within these gene\ndeserts, the HIV virus remains but is trapped in a harmless dormant\nstate. Because it is located far from active genes, the virus cannot\nhijack the cell\u2019s genetic machinery to replicate. \u201cThe intact virus is\nthere, but it is \u2018parked\u2019 in an area that does not allow it to do\nanything,\u201d explained Xu Yu. Besides T cells, recent research is also\nhighlighting the role of Natural Killer (NK) cells. A study on the\nVisconti cohort in France showed that individuals who could control the\nvirus after stopping treatment (post-treatment controllers) had gene\nvariants affecting the behaviour of their NK cells. Christina Thobakgale\nfrom the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, noted that elite\ncontrollers possess more active and vigilant NK cells. These cells are\ncapable of detecting and destroying hidden pockets of HIV in\nhard-to-reach locations such as the gut and lymph nodes. Data indicates\nthat women have a two to five times higher probability of becoming elite\ncontrollers compared to men. This is prompting scientists to delve\ndeeper into the female immune system in future HIV cure trials. Although\nLoreen Willenberg passed away from cancer in April 2026, the scientific\nlegacy she left behind is immense. Her survival proved that one of the\ndeadliest infectious diseases of the last century can actually be\ndefeated by the optimised power of the human immune system.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/scientists-study-rare-individuals-naturally-immune-to-hiv-1780671059",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}