Cancer drug shows promise in eradicating latent HIV infection

Breakthrough drugs have made it possible for people to live with HIV longer than ever before, but more work must be done to actually cure the disease. One of the challenges researchers face involves fully eradicating the virus when it is latent in the body. A new report appearing in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that a cancer drug, called JQ1, may be useful in purging latent HIV infection by activating the virus in the presence of potent therapy – essentially a dead end for the virus.

JQ1 was originally synthesized at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to block BRD4, a cancer-causing gene. Named for the lead chemist, Jun Qi, in the James Bradner laboratory at the Institute, JQ1 has proven effective in models of lung cancer and in several blood cancers including leukemia and multiple myeloma. During the past two years, the Bradner group has provided JQ1 without charge to more than 350 laboratories around the world.

Could be useful adjunctive therapy