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"world science festival"

why is hiv so hard to kill?

Humanity’s war against the HIV has been The AIDS virus is also hard to destroy because
a constantly shifting battle, thanks to the it tends to infect the very cells designed to
wily nature of the virus. But humans, being destroy it: a kind of white blood cell called a
quite wily themselves, have persevered in CD4 lymphocyte. These types of cells can be
the search for a cure despite setback after activated to fight pathogens, but can also lie
setback. Recently scientists found a way inactive. If infected, these dormant CD4 cells can
to snip HIV’s genetic code out from the maintain a hidden reservoir of HIV that can bring
genomes of infected cells. The technique’s the infection roaring back to life even after a
only been tried in cultured cells so far, but it successful course of treatment; most drugs can’t
could represent a powerful new weapon in touch these reservoirs.
the arsenal against AIDS. As of now, there are two main strategies for
a potential AIDS cure. One is a bone marrow
But just what makes HIV transplant, first used by German doctors in
such a formidable foe? 2008 to treat an HIV-infected man who was also
suffering from leukemia. The doctors gave the
In most viruses, the genetic transfer patient marrow from a donor who possessed a
of information mimics a host’s: DNA is special mutation called Delta 32, which helps
transcribed to RNA, which is translated into resist HIV infection. Nearly two years after the
a protein. But HIV is a retrovirus (in the family treatment, the doctors could not find any trace of
Retroviridae), meaning that it carries its HIV in the patient’s blood, bone marrow, or other
genes around in the form of a single strand organs. But bone marrow transplants are too
of RNA, rather than a DNA strand or double- risky a procedure to become a widespread cure.
helix. In infected persons, HIV hacks the cells One option for a “functional cure” involves
of the body with the help of an enzyme patients taking antiretroviral medicines, which
called reverse transcriptase, which allows it interfere at various stages of HIV infection
to create a DNA version of the viral genome and replication, very soon after infection. This
after it invades the cell. The viral DNA strand approach has been shown to leave patients
becomes integrated into a host’s genome, with very low levels of HIV in their blood, even
and the cell copies out the instructions in after they stop taking the drugs. But there are
those genes, creating new copies of the limitations: a patient has to start treatment
virus that can burst forth and infect other right after infection, and it’s still unclear just
cells. how long the effects can last. The “Mississippi
In normal DNA replication, a cell employs baby,” seemingly cured of HIV after an intense
a variety of molecular proofreaders to antiretroviral therapy regimen lasting for 18
help avoid changes to the genetic code. months shortly after her birth, has shown signs
But in reverse transcription, there aren’t of HIV infection again.
those checks, meaning that a retrovirus’ And the genome-editing techniques unveiled
genome can mutate very quickly. This is one this week, though promising, still have to be
reason HIV is particularly good at ducking proven in human subjects. There could be other
treatments, it mutates so quickly, it’s hard to complications as well. To edit HIV out of the
figure out what anchor a drug or vaccine can genome, Temple University researchers Kamel
latch onto. Khalili and Wenhui Hu use a specially designed
HIV is also a member of the Lentivirus genus small strand of RNA that sniffs out the virus’ code.
within the retroviruses, giving it another But, as mentioned before, HIV has a predilection
nasty set of armaments. Other retroviruses for mutation, which could complicate creating
can only infect cells in the midst of division; effective code sniffers. Hopefully, further testing
lentiviruses aren’t bound by that restriction. of Khalili and Hu’s technique won’t send them
back to the drawing board once more.
boiMAG





WORLD AIDS DAY

FASHION SHOW

Name of the show: Beneficiaries:
“STRUT” Project Vida and
Years in Existence: South Side Help Center
This is the 10th year Both organizations have been
anniversary serving the community for
Date of Event" over 20 years.
Sunday,
December 2nd, 2018
Location
The Promontory Chicago
5311 S. Lake Park Ave.
Hyde Park, Illinois

Produced by: Cover Model:
MadMan Productions Brian Boyle
Time: Photographer:
Doors: 4:30pm Studio Meiling Productions
Reception: 5pm Model Stylist:
Showtime: 6pm John Fleming, Jr.
Designers & Models:
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2 from NYC:
Amy Verrier & HALZ NYC
25 models
Tickets:
General admission: $27
Reserved:
Front & Second rows: $37
Tables: $40

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=INTERVIEW= is very different from the runway. How
serious are you about the business side? 
Hello Brian. It is so wonderful to be able to sit The business side is just as important as the
down with you during the release of your first runway side.  It’s necessary to form relationships
magazine cover and the buzz around STRUT’s and build up a network with people business-
10 year anniversary event. wise to keep getting more work.  As an
How are you feeling right about now? independent contractor this is especially true.
I feel amazing, it’s an honor to have my first It’s crucial to stay professional, be reliable and
magazine cover, I am so excited for this represent anyone you’re working for at a level
opportunity. All the fittings for the show that wants them to keep you coming back. This
are finalizing and everything is just coming is what I strive to do with any job I take.
together wonderfully. It’s going to be such an  
exciting event and I can’t wait for the show. How is your career going?
  It’s going well, I’m happy with where I am. I
only started modeling at the beginning of last
This is your second time walking in STRUT. February doing strictly print, then I moved on
What brought you back? to walking in shows just over a year ago.  So
Strut was the show that really got me excited to come from not having any idea where this
about runway. I had just started out performing would lead me to where I am now, I am satisfied
in shows and didn’t really know what to with how far I’ve come. But in the same sense,
expect.  Strut is an upbeat, high energy, fast- I plan on continuing to push myself and stay
paced show. There is music playing and open to what other new opportunities may be
everyone in the audience is cheering. By the presented to me.
end of the show I knew I had found something  
I was passionate about. Just seeing all the Most of the models in STRUT have done
happiness and joy the show brought to the the show for years because of some sort
audience made me excited to come back and personal connection. Is it the same for
perform again this year. you, and if so, in what way?
I feel a personal connection to Strut because
This show is known for mixing the avant I really believe in the cause. Over 1 million
garde with the conservative. Which do you people in the US are living with HIV and it’s very
prefer and why? important to continue raising awareness about
I enjoy modeling any type of style, it’s cool to the issue.
be able to wear something that I would not  
normally wear in my daily life. Knowing how I like to challenge STRUT models to be better.....
hard the designer has worked on any outfit to take risks and to seize opportunities. How do
makes it an honor to model it for them, but if I you feel about that and why?
had to pick a preference I would go with avant I am all for seizing new opportunities, especially
garde.  I like to put myself out there and love with a little risk.  In my modeling career so far
rocking the real extravagant and wild designs. I have come to realize that most of the reward
comes with some risk.
Obviously, I believe in you, and I have the  
upmost confidence in your talent. Does People always have preconceived beliefs
that put any pressure on you.  about models. Let’s leave them with something
Your confidence in me and knowing that people surprising and interesting.
are counting on me to perform well makes me I think that some people have the preconceived
motivated and excited to perform my best. notion that models don’t have much else to
I’ve been physically preparing for the show for them besides a pretty face.  I haven’t found this
weeks and it’s relieving to know that you’re to be true, most models I’ve had the privilege
rooting for me. to meet and work with over the last few years
  are smart, intellectual people.  People are often
I’m sure this is just the first of many covers surprised to learn that I have a Mechanical
for you. The business side of modeling Engineering degree from Purdue and work full
time as a day trader.

boiMAG 11

by Mary Carmichael HIV BEFORE THE AGE OF AIDS

HOW IT BEGAN

As soon as HIV was identified in makes up 90 percent of all infections
1983, scientists started trying to worldwide, there are at least nine
understand where it had come from, strains, known as “clades,” of HIV-1 that
when it had arisen, and why it had are constantly mutating and merging
spread. with each other, creating yet more new
varieties. “The M group epidemiologically
Were they too late? has overwhelmed what else is out there,”
says Dr. Beatrice Hahn of the University
To answer most of their questions, of Alabama-Birmingham, who has
they would have had to witness the conducted much of the research into
virus’s evolution. Scientists can track HIV’s origin. HIV-2, on the other hand, is
new pathogens such as SARS and avian not as virulent and largely confined to
flu because they produce obvious West Africa, where it originated.
symptoms almost immediately. But HIV In May 2006, an international group of
is a stealth virus that takes as many as 10 researchers led by Hahn answered two
years to present symptoms; by the time major questions about the origin of HIV-1
researchers knew enough to wonder M, the deadliest and most widespread
about its origins, those origins were in form of the virus:
the distant past. Where was its cradle, and
For the last 23 years, scientists have what kind of chimp did it
been trying to peer into that past. Jon come from?
Cohen, a correspondent for Science Answering the questions was literally
who has written extensively about messy work, researchers collected 599
the virus, compares the work to fossil waste samples from wild chimpanzees
hunting, using a few precious shreds of and analyzed the viral particles they
evidence to construct a possible history. contained, but the results were
“Everybody’s always looking for certainty. immaculate. Three populations of Pan
It doesn’t exist [in this field],” he says. “In a troglodytes troglodytes living in southern
sense it’s all theory.” Cameroon provided the crucial data. Two
Nonetheless, the theory rests on of those populations currently carry SIVs
facts, and at least a few of them that are molecular dead ringers for HIV-1
are undisputed, including, most M, while many chimps in the third group
significantly, HIV’s family tree. There are infected with an SIV remarkably
are two species of the virus, HIV-1 and similar to HIV-1 N. Group O’s simian
HIV-2. The first evolved from a simian sibling is probably lurking in other chimp
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) found in populations in West Central Africa, says
chimpanzees, while the second came Hahn, adding that she has “a pretty good
from an SIV in a type of monkey called idea where it’s going to be … and we’re
the sooty mangabey. going to find it.”
HIV-1, which is responsible for the vast The research puts to rest decades of
majority of AIDS cases worldwide, is speculation about the birthplace of
divided into three groups, the “major” most types of HIV and their animal
group M, and the much rarer “outlier” “reservoir” in the wild. But there are still
group O and “new” group N, that have many questions that haven’t yet been
diverged over years of mutation and definitively settled, questions such as:
evolution. Within the M group, which

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When did HIV-1 first start by health authorities. Researchers still hope
spreading in humans? there are forgotten samples in African
freezers. “There has to be some serum or
HIV-1 is surprisingly old, and it probably plasma somewhere, and given modern
“debuted” in humans at least three technology we could fish out the virus,”
separate times, one for each subtype, M, says Dr. David Ho, director of the Aaron
N, and O. Scientists’ best guess is that the Diamond AIDS Research Center and one of
precursor of the most common “M” virus the world’s leading authorities on HIV.
jumped from the Cameroon chimps to But even if those samples are found
humans sometime before 1931. Using someday, they won’t necessarily yield
samples of HIV-infected tissue harvested definite answers about the virus’ age, says
over the last three decades, virologist Korber: “Often, you can’t get anything out
Dr. Bette Korber of Los Alamos National of samples like that.” Most African samples
Laboratory has calculated that an are made of blood serum, and serum
ancestral form of HIV started spreading, samples contain viral RNA, which degrades
slowly at first, in humans about 75 years much faster than the DNA found in tissue
ago. The actual jump from chimps to samples. In fact, says Ho, the 1959 sample,
humans probably occurred shortly before which was sequenced by his laboratory,
that, says Hahn: “There’s no reason to was kept in a freezer but still didn’t survive
believe this was just lingering around in the ravages of time. “It was completely dried
people.” up,” he says. “We were only able to get small
Korber’s model estimates a virus’ age pieces [of genetic material], and we had to
based on how extensively different stitch them together.”
strains have mutated. HIV is an
unusual virus; it changes its DNA So scientists have
by both mutation and, more often, estimated when and where
recombination, when two strains merge the most deadly type of HIV
within the body and exchange genetic started infecting humans,
material. Some scientists refer to this but how did it do that?
process as “viral sex,” and it may partially
explain why it is so hard for scientists to Most AIDS researchers believe that the
make a treatment or vaccine. Korber’s “bushmeat trade” allowed the HIV-1 virus,
model does not take recombination and separately HIV-2, to enter the human
into account, but given a virus’ DNA bloodstream several times. Hunters who
configuration, it can roughly predict the kill and butcher chimps and monkeys are
age of that strain. Korber has tested the regularly exposed to animal blood teeming
oldest known HIV sample, taken in 1959, with SIVs. If the hunters have cuts, bites,
and derived the 1931 estimate. or scratches, and given the nature of their
work they almost always do, they can
Why do scientists look catch the viruses from their prey. Hunters
at recent samples of HIV going after chimps in Cameroon could
to determine the virus’ have caught the first strains of HIV-1. Sooty
overall age? Wouldn’t mangabeys, hunted and kept as pets in
it be better to use older West Africa, could have transmitted HIV-2
samples that haven’t had to humans.
as much time to mutate? Africans have hunted chimps and monkeys
and kept them as pets for centuries; they’ve
It would, but scientists don’t have that presumably been exposed to SIVs during
luxury. Other than the 1959 sample, there most of that time. But the conditions
are very few preserved specimens of Continued on a following page >>>
HIV-infected tissue that predate the early
‘80s, when the virus was first recognized boiMAG 13

co n ti n u e d

How it began

needed for HIV to spread widely weren’t of HIV-1 M and N. However, it is possible
in place until after the continent was that the chimps used in the Kisangani
colonized and urbanized. The first victims experiments were not from the area. In
would have found it easier to unwittingly the spring of 2006, Hooper found a paper
spread the virus to sexual partners far indicating that at least one of eight chimps
and wide as roads and vehicles started at the Kisangani lab was a Pan troglodytes
connecting previously isolated villages troglodytes.
and cities. Hospitals may have played The 1959 sample also presents a problem
a role, too. Strapped for cash, some of for the OPV theory. Judging by how fast
them probably re-used dirty needles, the virus mutates, it had already diverged
unknowingly infecting patients in the significantly from its SIV ancestors by the
process. time doctors extracted it from a patient.
Are there other theories However, the African polio vaccination
about how the virus could program had begun only two years earlier,
have gotten into humans? so under the OPV theory, the virus would
There are several competing theories, have had only those two years in which to
ranging from implausible conspiracies evolve. Dr. Ho, who sequenced the sample,
to arguments grounded in extensive says it looks like the virus has been around
research. The best-known of the latter, a lot longer than that.
the “OPV/AIDS” theory, was exhaustively Proponents of each theory have
detailed in the 1999 book The River, by acknowledged (albeit grudgingly) that
author Edward Hooper. As many as a the other is scientifically possible. In the
million Africans were given oral polio last two years researchers have found
vaccines (OPV) between 1957 and 1960. that both “simian foamy viruses” and at
Hooper says witnesses have told him least two types of retroviruses can and
that a few batches of those vaccines do jump from monkeys to humans via
were “grown” in chimp cells at a lab hunting and butchery. And no one doubts
in Kisangani, a city in the Democratic that a vaccine cultured in primate cells
Republic of the Congo and that the chimp could be contaminated with a primate
cells, and thus the vaccines, could have virus. Some early polio vaccines contained
contained SIVs that jumped into humans. SV40, a simian virus discovered in 1960,
“There are highly significant correlations and the RNA virus that causes Marburg
between the places where this vaccine was hemorrhagic fever.
administered and the places where AIDS The question is not whether either
first appeared on the planet four to 20 years scenario could have happened, it’s which
later,” Hooper says. one did. To truly disprove the OPV theory,
Hahn says, researchers would have to find
The majority of HIV researchers subscribe HIV-infected human tissue samples that
to the bushmeat theory and raise several predate the polio vaccine trials. To prove
arguments against the OPV theory. the OPV/AIDS theory, on the other hand,
Hahn’s recent research confirming that they’d have to find the ancestral SIV in
HIV-1 M and N arose from Pan troglodytes batches of the vaccine that were made
troglodytes chimps in Cameroon presents in Kisangani. Neither of those things has
one problem: The Kisangani lab is in the happened, and it’s possible they never will.
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
it’s home to a different subspecies of (Mary Carmichael, is a Boston-based science
chimp than the one that was the source writer. Additional credits: PBS.org & Frontline.)

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CHICAGO FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW 2019

SAVE The Date!
Wednesday Mar. 20
thru Sunday Mar. 24

The show offers new exciting
landscape and garden elements
to turn even the most black of
thumbs into green ones.

Location: Navy Pier
600 E Grand Ave., Chicago
More Info. Online at:
chicagoflower.com

Discount: Save 20% when
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There’s nothing better than
experiencing all the show has
to offer at a discount. Now until
December 31st.

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday - Sunday,
March 20-24, 2019
Time: Wednesday-Saturday
from 10am-8pm. Sunday
from 10am-6pm.

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