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Just one infusion of a powerful human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody of VRC01 can suppress HIV levels in the blood of infected patients that have not subjected themselves to antiretroviral therapy (ART), say scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Moreover, injecting HIV-infected people with VRC01 "either intravenously or subcutaneously" is a fairly safe process, keeping antibody levels in the blood for long, and helping to give it the potential for virus treatment, according to a press release. 

About 23 HIV-infected subjects were used for conducting the first phase of the trial. Of the subjects, 15 were taking ART and eight were not. Those who took ART got two VRC01 infusions with a gap of 28 days between each infusion. Those who were not on ART got only one antibody infusion. Hence, scientists were able to validate the "safety" of the infusions as well as their ability to bring down the HIV levels in plasma and blood cells.

Scientists concluded that even though the antibody infusions did not bring down the HIV levels in blood cells, they reduced the levels in the plasma. The viral load was thus reduced tenfold in six out of eight patients who did not take the ART therapy.

For about three weeks, a couple of subjects who participated in the trial, with the lowest levels of the virus, underwent HIV suppression to excessively low levels, but "contingent on the fact that VRC01 was present in their blood at therapeutic concentrations".

HIV levels was reduced even among the other four subjects, though not to "undetectable levels". Moreover, the antibody did not influence those were taking ART, probably because the therapy was already "suppressing" the virus.

However, more research is required to probe how effective the VRC01 can be to treat HIV and its benefits as an alternative to ART.

The study was published in the latest issue of Science Translational Medicine.