Molecular Mimic Invades Cells, Steals Essential Proteins To Prevent HIV From Multiplying Inside Monkeys, Study Finds

The New York Times (8/8, Zimmer) reports a study published Thursday found that “a molecular mimic that invades a cell and steals essential proteins ... prevented H.I.V. from multiplying inside of monkeys.” After infecting “the monkeys with a primate version of H.I.V. that normally kills the animals in a matter of weeks,” researchers “gave the animals a single injection of” therapeutic interfering particles (TIPs), which “drove down the level of the virus by a factor of 10,000” and led to “almost all of the monkeys” surviving and “showing no sign of AIDS.” The findings were published in Science.