Covid Code Unlocked

  Unlocking the Covid Code

    The New York Times recently published an article about how scientists can now sequence an entire genome overnight and how they think this is the secret key they have been looking for in solving the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientists that have been conducting this research think that this will be very useful when tracking and identifying different strands of the coronavirus. Early in January, a scientist in Australia named Edward Holmes reached out to a scientist in China named Yong-Zhen Zhang. On the phone, they were talking about how Yong-Zhen Zhang has sequenced a genome of corona that was affecting the people in Wuhan.

    Since Yong-Zhen Zhang was able to isolate the genetic makeup of this strand and published it around the world many doctors were able to get their hands on it to help come up with the perfect pharmaceutical mixture to help cure the strain. They did not view the genetic sequence as an illness; they looked at it as a computer code. Something that had to be played around with and changed up to help unlock it to make people healthy again. Throughout this article written in The New York Times by Jon Gertner, he goes into even more depth about how genetically isolating things is going to be a huge step forward in the medical field.

Article : Unlocking the Covid Code

How Genetic Sequencing is Like Computer Problems: Computer Science behind DNA Sequencing

New Genetic Cause of Epilepsy Found

 

    Researchers have discovered two new gene mutations that cause epilepsy, more specifically the Familial adult myoclonic epilepsy (FAME). The two gene mutations are STARD7 and MARCH6 and they form the FAME2 and FAME3. These mutations form from repeat mutation which are mutations that are involved with neurological diseases. This explains why it is found in epilepsy. This new discovery proves to be extremely beneficial to families who have been affected with this disease because it allows a new treatment plan that could work out better for the patient themselves. With this knowledge testing is available to see the change thats able to be done for the patient which would include a more controlled form of the disease itself. Due to this form of mutation it can be very hard to find the mutation in the DNA sequence so special tools are used such as the expanded short tandem repeat algorithm. This tool can scan an entire genome to find the mutation and other tools aren't able to pick up repeat expansions. This discovery has relieved many families and patients that have had to deal with a disease that no one knew it was caused by. With this information we can begin to work on the important parts of the disease and maybe even find a cure.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-12-genetic-epilepsy.html

https://www.aesnet.org/sites/default/files/file_attach/12.7%20-%20New%20Insight%20Into%20the%20Genetic%20Causes%20of%20Epilepsy_0.pdf

Creating a Unviversal Diagnostic Cancer Detector

article  websiteCancer cells and normal cells both have DNA. This has been a known fact for a while, but when cancer cells are introduced to gold nanoparticles they have a unique structure they give off. The normal healthy cells DNA does not give this this unique structure. So a team of researchers headed by Matt Trau, a professor at the University Queensland Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology is trying to invent a test that will detect all cancers in patients. By creating a test with gold nanoparticles the test had a 90 percent successful identification of cancer. That is pretty good but the technology is in its very early stages. Another obstacle that the test must hurdle is the test cant detect rare types of cancers. If the team can overcome these two obstacles this test can possible save millions of peoples lives.
 

Scientist Are Retooling Bacteria to Cure Disease

Recently, researchers have been taking advantage of synthetic biology in order to manipulate DNA and “create microbes that, once ingested, work to treat a rare genetic condition.” This rare condition that scientist hope to treat is called phenylketonuria or PKU. People with PKU are unable to break down an amino acid called phenylalanine which can be found in protein food products such as meat and cheese.

After years of trying to treat PKU patients with gene therapy by inserting the working version of the defective gene called PAH, results were not successful. Instead, “researchers inserted the genes into the bacteria’s DNA so that once they have arrived in the gut, they could break down phenylalanine.” Scientist are taking advantage of bacteria and hope that they may someday become a “living medicine.” The way this works is that there is one gene that encodes a pump that allows the bacteria take up all of the surrounding phenylalanine, then there is a second gene that codes for an enzyme to break the phenylalanine into small fragments that eventually gets released into the urine. The microbes are engineered to break down phenylalanine in areas - the gut - with low oxygen levels, if there is a sense of high levels of oxygen, the bacteria genes will shut down until they reach the gut.

So far, researchers have done studies on mice and monkeys. In the mice study, researchers used mice with a PKU mutation and put them on high protein diets. Mice that took the bacteria had lower levels of phenylalanine in their blood than the mice who did not by 38%. For the monkey study, researchers also used monkeys with PKU mutations and put them on a high protein diet and also found higher spikes of phenylalanine in the blood of monkeys who did not take the bacteria than in the blood of the monkeys who did.   

It’s great to see that there is an advancement in the way medicine works and that there are new and alternative ways to help people with diseases. Because gene therapy showed unsuccessful results with curing patients diagnosed with PKU, it's astonishing to see that scientist continued to take alternative routes to try to find another way to help.

Article Link
Related Article

Cure for Fission Yeast Genes Could Have Bigger Things Ahead

Links: 1, 2 & 3 are available if you'd like to read the entire report!


Rapamycin is as of now in like manner use all through the therapeutic world as an immunosuppressant - halting the capacity of the invulnerable framework. In that capacity it is usually recommended to patients experiencing kidney transplants to forestall dismissal of the new organs. It is additionally routinely utilized for disease medications, and also to coat coronary stents. Rapamycin has additionally created sharp consideration because of investigations that indicated broadened life expectancy in mouse cells.

The OIST team has uncovered a new side to rapamycin, paving the way to new medical therapies for genetic diseases. Rapamycin represses cell development and division - known as multiplication - by controlling the capacity of TOR Kinase, a primary flagging compound that passes on data to the cell about nourishing conditions around it. The group theorized that if rapamycin could reestablish ordinary expansion in cells with transformed DNA, it was conceivable that the influenced qualities saved in people in charge of hereditary infections could possibly be dealt with by rapamycin.




The group contrived an investigation utilizing splitting yeast cells, every one of which had a particular transformation in their DNA that made cell division absconds when presented to raised temperatures of 36°C. Testing a library of 1014 mutant strains of yeast. 45 of the mutants were "safeguarded" by rapamycin expansion and started to isolate regularly by and by.

Examining the hereditary cosmetics of the saved yeast cells, the lab group recognized 12 distinct qualities that were in charge of the temperature-activated deformities. With the source distinguished, the group now knew where to search for the solution to rapamycin's therapeutic properties.

New study could possibly lead to a cure for Alzheimer's

An article on Science Daily states the recent discovery dealing with Alzheimer's. Scientists have been aware of certain genes involved in Alzheimer's. However, two new genes, PLCG2 and ABI3, have been found that affect the risk of a person developing the disease. The study that was conducted compared the DNA of thousands of people affected to those who are unaffected. Alzheimer's in a person occurs when genes and proteins interact and the proteins get tangled up in the person's brain, which causes a loss of connection between cells and eventually the cells die. These genes, proteins and cells have been identified during the study. Currently there is no cure or treatment for Alzheimer's, but with the study and research that was conducted, there is a high probability that a treatment/drug will be available soon.


I have worked in nursing homes for about three years and I have been surrounded with elderly who suffer from Alzheimer's. It is a devastating disease, that not only affects the individual but also the family. When someone suffers from Alzheimer's they decline to such an extreme and lose their memory that it's as if that person is no longer there. It is heartbreaking to encounter a family member crying over their affected individual. Therapy is offered but even the therapists who work with the affected individuals know there is not much more that can be done, for it is a problem that is irreversible and no amount of therapy will bring back the person, since there is no treatment or cure for it today. However, with this new study, scientists can now better  understand the disease and a treatment will hopefully arise.  A treatment and a cure for Alzheimer's would help a plethora of people and their families and stop their suffering.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170717115356.htm
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/alzheimers-disease-genes-risk-discover-scientists-dna-cardiff-university-a7845511.html

Serial killers on cancer

Dr. Rosenberg has been operating on patients for years. He deals with cancer, and for one special patient their own immune system took out their cancer cells. Thinking that this person had a special blood type, he transfused it into another patient with cancer. He was however, unsuccessful. He did learn though a new technique on a way to kill cancer. This technique is called "cell therapy." The patients t-cells are extracted from the body and then modified to recognize and destroy cancer. These t-cells are then multiplied millions of times and then put back into the body to fight the cancer. These cells are known as "serial killers" because they can kill thousands of cancer cells. Cell therapy is a unique treatment because it is using a live thing to fight the cancer and it is unique to every person. There have been side effects on a few patients, but research is still going on. These killer cells are mostly used on blood cancers. This article kept my attention the whole time. This could change the whole world, and lead to a cure if further research is as successful as this. Cancer amazes me because it is a mystery and always changing. Today every single person has been effected by some type of cancer, this could lead to solving one of the worlds greatest mysteries. Dr. Rosenberg looked at cancer in a different way and made me think in a different way as well. I would love for him to publish more about this research so I can keep up to date on it. 

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/health/cancer-cell-therapy-immune-system.html?action=click&contentCollection=health&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Related article: http://annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.immunol.25.022106.141527

Curing HIV

Researchers have focused on white blood cells called T cells while looking for a cure. T cells are a part of the immune system the virus uses as a host. Recently researchers have discovered that this virus can be found not only in T cells but also in large white blood cells found in different tissues in the body called macrophages. This is a big discovery because it shows that T cells are not the only cells the virus can infect. For a cure to be found, researchers now have to look for therapeutic interventions that target two different cells. I think this is a big deal because finding a cure is now going to take longer since researches have to target multiple types of cells.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170417114806.htm

https://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.4319.html

Possible Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis Discovered



Cystic fibrosis is an inherited life-threatening disease that damages the respiratory and digestive systems in the body. This disease affects 30,000 people in the US alone and currently has no cure however, recent research shows that a certain therapeutic approach may stop the disease from progressing.  Secretory glands in the body are responsible for the production  of mucus and swear, in a person with CF however, these secretions build up in the lungs causing respiratory infections as well as cause other infections in other parts of the body affected.

A group of researchers from George Washington University as well as the University of Perugia and the University of Rome have identified a synthetic polypeptide called thymosin alpha 1 and have examined its therapeutic affects. Thymosin alpha 1 is a synthetic form of a polypeptide found in thymus tissue. A mutation in the genetic code of a protein called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) causes CF. The mutation causes the protein to degrade prematurely which leads to poor chloride permeability in the affected areas and causes inflammation and infection. With the combination of several drugs, a therapeutic approach is able to be made that has shown multiple beneficial effects, more then ever found when dealing with the cure for CF. I believe this is a huge step in the right direction for curing this disease that so many people in the world are diagnosed with. Hopefully with further funding and more extensive research done, a complete cure can be made to totally eradicate this disease and save the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Links:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316837.php
https://gidigest.musc.edu/potential-new-treatment-for-cystic-fibrosis-uncovered-medical-news-today/

Replacing damaged brain cells reveals a possible cure for Parkinson's Disease



Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic disorder that gets increasingly worse over time. It involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells located in the brain. Patients with PD suffer with symptoms like tremors (of the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face), impaired posture and coordination, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), and more. In recent months, researchers have discovered a way to transform glial cells of the brain into dopamine-producing brain cells. The dopamine these cells produce is a neurotransmitter that sends signals to the substania nigra, a part of the brain that is associated with movement and coordination as well as other areas of the brain. The dopamine-producing cells in the brain of an individual diagnosed with Parkinson's are damaged which leads to a lack of dopamine in parts of the brain and cause tremors, impaired balance and coordination, and slow movement. Neurons from fetal mid brain tissues were the first form of transplant experimented with, however, due to the difficulties of obtaining these neurons, stem cells or reprogrammed cells are often used.

Professor Ernest Arenas and his colleagues of the Karolinska Institute of Sweden have furthered the research of transplanting and study the process of reprogramming cells, which avoids transplanting cells in the brain by converting existing cells into other cells, like dopamine-producing cells. The researchers combined certain genes that shape dopamine cells with transcription factors. The research conducted by these scientists and the works published is Nature Biotechnology has proven to be a significant step forward in the process of curing the millions of people who suffer from Parkinson's worldwide. If further studies take place, even more genes that promote the generation of dopamine cells and will give an even larger possibility of terminating Parkinson's disease.

Fish Eyes Help Human Blindness

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170405101940.htm

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/oios-fet040517.php

        Researchers have discovered a possible cure for congenital blindness and it is all due to the Zebrafish. One of the most popular and widespread causes of child blindness is Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). This syndrome is genetically transmitted to the child if both parents contain at least one of the improper copies of the gene involved in eye development. 

       It was discovered that Zebrafish have a very similar gene that leads to blindness as well. The Aipl1b gene is important in both visual functions and the the maintenance of core photoreceptors. Without this gene the fish are unable to detect light and during development they eventually lose sight.It is this gene that is being studied and compared to humans. Humans have a single gene, Aipl, that acts in the same manner.  Researchers are very close to understanding this gene and if they are able to prevent blindness in the fish then they should be able to find a way to prevent blindness in humans. This is a valuable discovery that could help so many people in the near future.

New Noninvasive Alzheimer's Treatment

Recent studies conducted on mice, engineered to have Alzheimer's have revealed that light therapy greatly reduces the effects of the disease on the brain. Alzheimer's is an irreversible genetic condition that affects brain function (cognition and memory), and becomes worse over time. The brain becomes congested with beta-amyloid plaque, gamma oscillations become impaired, and begins to form abnormal tau proteins that form tangles in the brain.

Tests conducted at MIT treated diseased mice with light therapy, inducing gamma oscillations at 40 hertz for one hour, beta-amyloid levels dropped by 50%, the only drawback being that beta-amyloids fully recovered to previous levels within 24 hours of treatment. The light therapy also removes plaque and mutated tau proteins. This gamma oscillation also improves the brains overall ability to get rid of mutated or faulty proteins.

Beta-amyloid plaques

Overall I believe this finding is quite fascinating, and could possibly be a big breakthrough in science and the medical field. It is clearly stated that this study has only been done on mice, but everyone including myself has hopes the effect of light therapy will translate to human beings.

Image taken from http://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/314/314627/beta-amyloid-plaques-between-nerve-cells.jpg

FKBP5 Befriends Chronic Pain

              Recently published in the United Kingdom’s Science Translational Medicine Journal, researchers suggested that a new protein blocking mechanism may be the key to treating chronic pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain that begins over a twelve week period, and lasts for weeks to years. This condition is normally found in the lower back region, but in some cases it can affect the neck and face. Chronic pain is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression which is caused by certain variations of a gene called FKBP5. Researchers pursue to gain better knowledge on how FKBP5 adds to chronic pain.

              During their research, genetically modified mice were altered to lack FKBP51, a variation of FKBP5, which plays a role in stress regulation. There were no negative side effects and mice were more mobile with normal pain responses. In the second half of the experiment, researchers blocked FKBP51 in the spinal cord with a protein gene called SAFit2. This protein is normally used to reduce anxiety by blocking brain activity, but by using SAFit2 to block FKBP1, mice showed that it significantly reduced chronic pain. Although this is a new study, researchers may have found the answer they were looking for to cure chronic pain.

               In my opinion, I believe this research has potential to solve chronic pain in humans. Even though this research is fairly new, SAFit2 has shown significant results in reducing chronic pain within mice spinal cords. Mice have been model icons for research and have lead many of diseases and conditions to multiple cures. The only disadvantage to using mice for chronic pain research is that the gene that regulates stress in humans is different than the gene that regulates mice stress. Although the variation of FKBP1 can be blocked by SAFit2 , the P5 variation may require different proteins to block it in humans. Researchers have definitely moved closer to solving the mystery of chronic pain, but without developing a drug that can be used within humans, researchers will find them further exploring this unusual condition.

A Gene For Herpes?

According to multiple studies, 9 out of 10 people carry the gene for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1).  The only question was, why is it that if 90 percent of people carry the gene, only 20 percent of the population shows symptoms?  Recently, researchers from the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, did a study taking blood samples from 20 people with cold sores.  When looking at their genes, the blood work showed that those with the cold sores had a mutation of the gene IL28B.  The researchers discovered that people who do not produce cold sores, those without the mutation, are able to produce the protein that keeps the virus inactive.  Therefore, those who do produce cold sores, who have the mutated IL28B gene, is not able to produce that protein and are then unable to have their immune system keep the virus under control.  Researchers now hope to find a way in which we can utilize this protein as a possible treatment for other infections caused by the HSV-1.

I found this to be very interesting, seeing as that my mom and my aunt both produce cold sores; therefore, they would have the IL28B mutation.  This then means, that even though I, myself, do not produce cold sores, I could still carry the HSV-1 gene.  Hopefully, researchers can find a way, just like they did for insulin and diabetes, to use the IL28B protein as a cure for HSV-1 and its related viruses.

Epilepsy and Genes

Research teams at Scripps translational science institute has found a new genetic cause of a rare epilepsy that begins in early childhood. After sequencing an entire genome the researchers located a mutation in the KCNB1 gene after using a 10 year old girl from San Diego who has this rare form of epilepsy.

The KCNB1 regulates the flow of potassium ions through neurons, this affects how the cells communicate with one another. The finding of this has allowed new treatment options for children with a case of epilepsy encephalpathy. The research team allowed for this girl to improve drastically, from her almost seizing 25 times a day to less now. The scientists believe that with this finding she will only keep improving in time.

I think this finding is amazing. It could help childrens lives completely, from seizing many times a day and not being able to living their lives to being able to have an almost funtional normal life. If the treatments keep increasing because of the findings, I think that this could help the children that have this rare form of epilepsy.

Article Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264705.php

Supporting link: http://neurology.stanford.edu/epilepsy/patientcare/videos/e_09.html

Effects of Genes on Human Traits

Recent technological developments in genomics have revealed a large number of genetic influences on common complex diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, cancer or schizophrenia. However, discovering a genetic variant predisposing to a disease is only a first step. To apply this knowledge towards prevention or cure, including tailoring treatment to the patient's genetic profile -also known as personalized medicine we need to know how this genetic variant affects health.  Until now, researchers have been focusing on the effects of disease-associated genomic variants on DNA-to-RNA transcription, instead of the challenging question of effects on RNA-to-protein translation, says Dr. Polychronakos. Thanks to this methodology, we can now better understand the effect of genetic variants on translation of RNA to protein a powerful way of developing biomarkers for personalized medicine and new therapies."

                                                             http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRltlYKP4qHrspEozbEsfitbi2CF_5mwtsMdK7fUvHux5MdACDm

http://thednaexchange.com/2010/08/27/genetics-and-teachers/

Colorblindness in Monkeys Cured

Researchers from Washington and Florida University used gene therapy to cure two squirrel monkeys of colorblindness. Colorblindness is very common in human beings, it affects about 3.5 million people in the US, 13 million people in India, and 16 Million people in China. Though colorblindness affects a large amount of people it is mostly found in men which causes them to be unable to distinguish red and green hues. Gene therapy is mostly used for disorders involving cone cells in adults which are vital for vision. With this information scientist decided to add red sensitivity to cone cells that were unable to or had difficulty picking up red colors. Once the red sensitivity was added to the monkeys cone cells the monkeys were than given similar colorblindness test that are given to humans, the color dotted circles with varying color and shaped dots inside. It took 5 weeks for the scientists start seeing improvement in the monkey color recognition, but when the monkeys began choosing the correct colors they were rewarded for their correct choice. With in one year the monkey were able to distinguish 16 different hues.

The biggest concern for researchers was how safely this procedure could be done in humans. Researchers from Florida University developed a gene transfer technique that used a non-harmful virus to assist in the transport of corrective genes to the desired protein location, they also wanted to use cone pigments that produce red and green in the retina. Researcher are also hoping that this gene therapy will be able to cure common types of blindness.

I choose to write about this article because I though it was interesting that researchers would fix colorblindness in monkeys and then use that information to help fix colorblindness in humans. I also read the article to find out if anyone who is colorblind said they would get the procedure done to fix their colorblindness.

http://phys.org/news172325926.html

Diabetes: A cure?

Four lucky beagles seem to have been cured of their canine type one diabetes by use of gene therapy. This treatment is known to be affective in mice, however, this is the first time researchers have attempted this therapy in dogs. Two genes are inserted into the dog, together these two genes are able to form a “glucose sensor” that allows for glucose to be processed more correctly. After the gene insertion the dogs are able to regulate glucose uptake and also reduce excessive glucose levels in the blood.

Four years after the injection the dogs which received both genes showed no signs of diabetes. The dogs exhibited normal body weight and did not appear to have any complications from the treatment. Dogs that had only received one of the two genes remained diabetic.

This treatment is not only a great discovery for our four legged friends but may also be important in the cure of diabetes in humans. It is important to note that the dogs in the study had pancreatic cells that had been destroyed by chemicals. In type one human diabetics the immune system attacks the pancreatic cells. However, scientists are still hopeful that further research on animals may result in a cure for humans.

 

Original Article- http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/gene-therapy-cures-diabetic-dogs

Related Article- http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34394/title/Dogs-Cured-of-Type-1-Diabetes/

Gene Linked to PTSD

When referring to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, it is often said that not all wounds are visible.  PTSD is a debilitating disorder that quite literally destroys lives.  Trauma that initiates PTSD becomes so embedded in the mind of the person suffering from the disorder that it can lead to major depression, anxiety, insomnia, difficulty forming relationships, and even suicide.  But now, it has been discovered that there is indeed a genetic component to this disorder, which may eventually lead scientists to a cure.

According to Medical News Today, Ya-Ping Tang, MD, PhD, of New Orleans has found that a specific gene is critical to the adult-onset PTSD.  In particular, the action of this specific gene occurs during adolescent exposure to trauma.  This specific transgene has been identified as CCKR-2.

Not only is the original trauma significant to PTSD, but in most cases, a second stressor or "re-victimization" is essential to the development of this disorder.  In studies done with mice, original trauma and a second stressor were not enough on their own to cause PTSD.  However, with the introduction of CCKR-2, PTSD-like behavior was finally observed.

This identification of CCKR-2 and its significance in the development of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder have finally provided fresh hope for treatment of those who suffer from this life-altering condition.  Now that CCKR-2 is a known cofactor in the brain that coincides with adolescent trauma, it is possible for scientists to prevent and even cure PTSD by developing a way to block the reception of the neurotransmitter CCKR-2.  By doing so, generations could be spared the intense agony that is known as PTSD.

Finally an End to Infant HIV?

In a world where an estimated 300,000 newborns are delivered already infected with HIV, it is safe to say that any progress in stopping this epidemic would be considered remarkable. On March 3, 2013, it was finally announced that a young baby from Mississippi had allegedly been cured of HIV maternally transmitted while in the womb. If confirmed, this will be only the second documented cure of HIV in the entire world. Contrary to normal "prophylactic measures," this baby was immediately placed on a rigorous three-drug combination antiretroviral therapy directly following post-delivery HIV testing. Initially at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the baby tested HIV positive for 5 tests (4 viral RNA and 1 DNA). Two blood tests ordered hours apart to ensure further reliability revealed that the baby's HIV viral levels were about "20,000 copies per milliliter."



At 1 month old, the baby's HIV levels were steadily decreasing in response to the rapid treatment. When the toddler reached 18 months, it was brought back to UMMC for further medical testing and viral assessment.  To doctors', nurses', associated staff's and the mother's great surprise, all tests returned HIV negative.

 The researchers, sponsored by amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, put the baby through a battery of sophisticated tests. They found tiny amounts of some viral genetic material but no virus able to replicate, even lying dormant in so-called reservoirs in the body."

Although skeptics unfortunately question the facts of this case, it has been hypothesized by many health professionals that the virus of this child was treated in such a rapid fashion that it did not have time to manifest into these "hidden reservoirs" of the body. For those plagued with HIV, the virus typically hides in a dormant state within reservoirs and is able to resist medication. Other doctors now contest the fact that this is a true cure if the child never actually established this "hiding areas" for the virus to hide and grow. Regardless, the results of this child's case may prove of substantial importance in the innovation of future treatment of HIV and can serve as a heartwarming sense of hope for those longing for a cure.

[For more on this article, check out the following links: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/health/for-first-time-baby-cured-of-hiv-doctors-say.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&hpw & http://abcnews.go.com/Health/mississippi-baby-born-hiv-functionally-cured-doctors/story?id=18645410]