The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7286 p178
14 February 2004

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Ricin toxin targets HIV

A monoclonal antibody linked to a portion of the ricin toxin has been used to target HIV-infected CD4+ T cells. Researchers tested the immunotoxin in vitro using cells from patients who had no detectable signs of HIV in their bloodstreams. The researchers suggest that the immunotoxin, known as CD45RO, could be used to purge latent viral reservoirs in HIV-infected patients (www.pnas.org).