CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) — Researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) have found a previously unknown factor in the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that could lead to new ways to prevent the disease’s spread.
More than 1 million people around the world are infected with HIV every year, a university spokesperson said.
According to the CDC, the disease attacks the body’s immune system, and if left untreated, it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.
When HIV is transmitted, it is usually caused by a single virus that makes it past many different biological and cellular defenses.
UVA researchers believe successful transmission is influenced by a protein the virus makes and by how that protein interacts with the virus’ RNA, which carries genetic information and creates proteins.
Natural variation in this process, the researchers say, could be a key factor in determining whether HIV is passed on, according to the university.
“Protecting people from getting HIV is a major public health goal,” said researcher Patrick Jackson, MD, of UVA’s Thaler Center for AIDS and Human Retrovirus Research. “Our work on understanding the process of HIV transmission could point the way to better drugs to prevent HIV.”
