A study conducted at the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) showed that it is possible to enhance the immune response of newborns against the HIV virus, which causes AIDS. The discovery, carried out in cell culture and described in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, expands the possibility of new therapeutic interventions to protect against infectious diseases in this period of life.

In the experiment, the researchers stimulated the innate response (first line of immune defense, which is not specific for a pathogen and involves cells such as macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils) in cells from the umbilical cord of babies whose mothers did not have HIV through a synthetic compound called CL097. Then, the team from the Medical Research Laboratory 56 incubated the virus in cells in vitro. The compound was shown to be efficient in promoting antiviral and inflammatory responses, inhibiting HIV replication in umbilical cord cells.

“The results reinforce the knowledge we already had that newborns have an immature immunity, therefore, they are more susceptible to viruses like HIV. However, we found that they are not as immunodeficient as previously thought, as their cells are able to respond very well to this type of stimulus with innate immunity agonists [substances that stimulate the first line of defense]. One of the differentials of the study was the use of this type of agonist [CL097], as it mimics the pathogen and allows for the reduction of viral infection”, says Maria Notomi Sato, professor at FMUSP and main author of the study.

The research was supported by FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation) through a master's scholarship granted to Anna Julia Pietrobon, Sato's adviser.

Read on at https://agencia.fapesp.br/experimento-mostra-ser-possivel-estimular-o-sistema-imune-de-recem-borns-a-combater-o-hiv/37435/.