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U Researchers Create Human Model for HIV Transmission
Research helps to show how to block transmission
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (Aug. 8, 2005) -- Researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully transmitted HIV into human tissues in the laboratory. Several major studies have used monkey models of HIV transmission, but reconstruction of sexual transmission has not been achieved previously in human tissues.
The new experimental systems and analytical methods serve as a platform to understand fundamental mechanisms involved with HIV transmission. The results are published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
“At first glance, this seems like an obvious experiment, but in fact, it is technically very difficult,” says Peter Southern, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor of microbiology. “Our findings increase the understanding of how HIV is transmitted in humans from a biological standpoint. We hope that this is information can guide the development of new ways of reducing virus transmission.”
The experiments to simulate sexual transmission of HIV were conducted with reproductive-tract tissue from young women and virus or seminal fluid from HIV-positive men. By using multiple microscopes, researchers were able to observe virus and cell binding to female tissue surfaces and actual invasion of the virus into the tissue. Both events occurred rapidly and extensively suggesting that any mechanism to reduce binding could protect against HIV transmission.
“Working with human tissues creates a unique set of challenges but then we gain specific insight into the human condition,” says Diane Maher, a graduate student who conducted this research as part of her doctoral dissertation.
The research was funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health. A researcher from the University of Alabama also contributed to this study.
The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.
Contact: Sara Buss, Academic Health Center, 612.624.2449 Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612.625.2640
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