Scientists have found a way to prevent HIV from damaging the immune system and say the discovery may offer new clues to developing a vaccine against AIDS, Reuters reported. |
據(jù)路透社報道,科學家已找到一種辦法防止艾滋病病毒破壞免疫系統(tǒng)。他們表示,這一發(fā)現(xiàn)可為開發(fā)艾滋病疫苗提供新線索。? |
HIV Researchers from the United States and Europe have found the virus is unable to damage the immune system if cholesterol is removed from the virus's membrane. |
美國和歐洲的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),如果從病毒細胞膜上移除膽固醇,病毒便無法破壞免疫系統(tǒng)。 |
"It's like an army that has lost its weapons but still has flags, so another army can recognize it and attack it," said Adriano Boasso of Imperial College London, who led the study. |
來自倫敦帝國理工學院的研究帶頭人阿德里亞諾?博阿索說:“這就像一支部隊,他們丟了武器,卻還有旌旗,所以另一支部隊能認出他們并展開攻擊?!?/td> |
Usually when a person becomes infected with HIV, the body's innate immune response puts up an immediate defense. But some researchers believe HIV causes the innate immune system to overreact. This weakens the immune system's next line of defense, known as the adaptive immune response. |
通常情況下,當人感染艾滋病病毒后,先天性免疫反應便立即實施防衛(wèi)。但一些研究人員認為,艾滋病病毒可使先天免疫系統(tǒng)反應過激。這就削弱了免疫系統(tǒng)的下一道稱為適應性免疫反應的防線。 |
In their study, Boasso's team removed cholesterol from the membrane around the virus and found that this stopped HIV from triggering the innate immune response. This in turn led to a stronger adaptive response, orchestrated by the type of white blood cells known as T cells. |
而在這項研究里,博阿索的團隊從病毒周圍細胞膜上移除膽固醇,發(fā)現(xiàn)這可阻止艾滋病病毒激發(fā)先天性免疫反應。接下來在一種稱為T細胞的免疫細胞的配合下,可引起更為強烈的適應性反應。 |
The findings have given researchers new hope that they will be able to develop vaccines that can disable the virus.
(China.org.cn September 21, 2011) |
這些發(fā)現(xiàn)使得研究者有望開發(fā)出能夠抑制病毒的疫苗。 |