Hunter Virus May Be Used to Attack HIV

It may take a virus to kill a virus, say researchers who have made a biological weapon that seeks out cells infected with HIV. In laboratory experiments at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, scientists have shown that a harmless virus coated with special proteins will search out cells infected with HIV and then lock onto the cell surfaces. Dr. James A. Hoxie, senior author of the study in the journal Science, said that the hunter virus could be loaded with a biological weapon that would attack HIV inside infected cells and, thus, control the AIDS virus. The study will be published today. The technique is still in an early stage of study and will require extensive development before it can be tested on patients.