Antigen-specific toxins may offer hope as AIDS therapy

A new class of antigen-specific killer cells may offer a new, effective form of treatment for HIV. Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, have produced HIV-specific killer cells by genetically modifying lymphocytes to target HIV-infected cells in vivo. Preclinical tests indicate that immunotoxins are effective in treating tumor cells and virally infected cells, but that when actually used in humans, the toxins may cause toxicity or anaphylaxis. Further research is needed before the new treatment can be given to humans, the investigators say.