| Abstract: | The immune system's job is protection from illness. Following a long period of HIV infection, the immune system often fails. Opportunistic infections may ensue during this slow process of disease progression. Some HIV-positive people, however, do not experience immune system damage, do not develop opportunistic infections, and have undetectable levels of HIV. These long-term nonprogressors are being studied by Dr. Bruce Walker from Harvard University. Background information on how the immune system normally controls HIV and the importance of HIV-specific memory T4 cells is presented. Dr. Walker and other researchers hope to learn how to keep the immune system working against HIV. Preliminary results that demonstrate restoration of immune functions are presented. |
