Keytruda for HIV? Researchers claim it's a possibility — opening more doors toward cure
Ever since HIV first emerged decades ago, progress made towards treating the disease completely has been slow. Although the infection has gone from a death sentence to a chronic disease, kept at bay with a constant intake of anti-retroviral drugs, it remains incurable.
Now, researchers at Fred Hutch say that Keytruda, Merck’s anti-PD-1 cancer megablockbuster, might be able to displace the virus from human immune cells — which would be a game changer for treatment. The researchers claim that Keytruda, which works by blocking a receptor (PD-1) that tumors hijack to turn off T cells, can reverse HIV’s ability to hide in cells and evade the immune system.
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