[extropy-chat] magic johnson, aids, longevity ...

[Robert Bradbury]

On 4/12/06, Ensel Sharon <user at dhp.com> wrote:
>
> - word on the street is, if tested, he would be considered HIV negative
> (now)


Just a word about this -- this probably means he has a viral load count of
zero.  I'm not positive, but I think there are at least 3 tests for HIV:
a) An antibody test;
b) A DNA test based on PCR amplification and DNA quantity measurement
(quantitative PCR);
c) A low copy number DNA test based on PCR amplification and/or sequencing.
There might also be Mass-Spectrometer tests which could be done.

These are listed in order from "standard" types of lab tests to increasingly
specialized (experimental).  The more specialized (and more expensive) tests
have increased sensitivity but may also run the risks of false positive
results.

It is not unusual I believe for the right drug cocktail to drive HIV levels
down to undetectable levels.  However there one must be careful that "HIV
negative" does not equal "cured of HIV".  To be cured it means that the
virus is either not present (not in a single copy in your body) or cannot
(and will not) mutate into a form that your immune system cannot control.
If one is "cured" one can safely stop taking the drugs.  I doubt however
that is the case with Magic.  It may be possible however that the right drug
mix combined with his specific immune system may have beaten the virus into
an extended undetectable (and non-pathological) state.

Eventually there is still some hope that the right amount of ingenuity may
produce a relatively robust HIV vaccine.  In which case it would be possible
to give this to people who are infected, presumably in combination with
drugs that hold the virus in suppression.  Under these circumstances one may
be able to gradually withdraw the drugs and allow your immune system to take
over the task of managing the virus.

To a large extent you can view the process of vaccinations and immune system
adaptation to a virus as the process of in vivo "manufacturing" of
nanorobots (white blood cells) designed to eliminate specific pathogens.
However the efficacy of vaccinations depends on both how it is engineered as
well as the capabilities of the genome (and therefore the immune system) of
specific individuals.  With many viruses that do not vary significantly
(smallpox, polio, etc.) it is possible to produce a "one size fits all"
vaccination.  With HIV the problem is much more complex, in part because
there are different virus strains.  To effectively train ones immune system
to respond to HIV may eventually require vaccination types which are tuned
for both the virus subtype and the immune system type (primarily the MHC
genes) of specific individuals.

Robert
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