AIDS researchers told to focus on CCR5

Sari Setiogi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A prominent HIV/AIDS scientist opined on Saturday that the research being undertaken around the world on an HIV/AIDS vaccine was headed in wrong direction. Instead of focusing on the development of CD4 cells, which is not effective, the researchers should be paying more attention on how to get rid of the CCR5 molecules that act as the intermediaries for the HIV virus to enter the human body, according to Robert C. Gallo.

The research into CD4 cells was not effective as it would not provide optimum results in combating the HIV virus, said Gallo.

"Killing the CD4 cells will not prevent HIV infection, but will only reduce the virus in the human body," said Gallo, a U.S.-citizen, the first scientist who discovered some 20 years ago that the HIV virus was the cause of AIDS.

A CD4 cell is a type of lymphocyte (T-cell) that helps the body resist infection from "outsider" microorganisms, including the HIV virus.

Given that the research on CD4 cells was not effective, the researchers should now think about creating a vaccine that could get rid of the CCR5 molecules so that the HIV virus could be entirely blocked from entering the human body, Gallo said in a seminar here. But, Gallo's opinion was contested by other researchers, including Agus Sjahrurachman, the head of the microbiology section at the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine.

Agus worried that eliminating CCR5 molecules would affect metabolism and other systems within the body.

In response to Agus' comments, Gallo assured the participants that getting rid of the CCR5 molecules would not affect any of the systems in the human body.

Gallo said that a past study had found that some one percent of Americans were born without CCR5 molecules, but they still had normal lives and did not become infected with HIV.