Anti-cancer drugs can wake up hidden reservoirs of HIV in patients, according to researchers who say the results provide a hint that curing AIDS might some day be possible.
The finding on the anti-cancer drug Romidepsin, presented at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne on Tuesday, comes as researchers express optimism a cure is on the horizon but warn that it might take many years.
"It's called the kick and kill approach," said Dr Ole Schmeltz Sogaard from Aarhus University in Denmark.
HIV can hide in a state of hibernation in so called CD4 cells.
While HIV can be kept down by medicine there is still no cure that can eradicate the virus completely from the body.
The researchers gave the anti-cancer drug to six HIV patients and found that the drug can identify the hibernating virus and shock it out of its hiding place.
The researchers also found the drug increased the virus production in HIV-infected cells between two and almost four times above normal so it could be traced.
"We have now shown that we can activate a hibernating virus with Romidepsin and that the activated virus moves into the bloodstream in large amounts," said Dr Schmeltz Sogaard.
"This is a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go and many obstacles to overcome before we can start talking about a cure against HIV."
Steve Deeks, a researcher at the University of California, said the study's findings were significant.
"It's the first clear evidence, at least to me, that we can truly identify the hidden virus and shock it out of its hiding place," he said.
"I don't think anyone has shown that in people before.
"What's got to happen next is that we've got to kill it."
HIV researchers hope that by activating the dormant cells, they can then eradicate them through existing treatments or vaccines which are being trialled.
Sharon Lewin, an infectious disease physician and local co-chair of this year's International AIDS Conference, said this Danish study has taken cure research one step further.
"It's more potent than other drugs we've used already to wake up the virus and that's a big step."
