Finally, a cure for AIDS?

London: In what could be called a possible breakthrough, scientists claim that they may have found a way to cure AIDS.

An international team, which carried out a research funded by the Australian and Canadian governments, claims that they probably found a "genetic" method which would help the body cure itself of HIV.

In fact, in a series of tantalising experiments on rats, the scientists were able to harness the immune system to such an extent that it defeated the virus and completely removed it from the body, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The breakthrough centres on a gene called 'SOCS-3'. When faced with an overwhelming infection such as the HIV, the gene becomes highly active and slams the brakes on the immune response, allowing the virus to persist. When the scientists boosted levels of a hormone called IL-7, the gene "switched off" and mice were able to gradually remove HIV from their bodies.

While there have been advances in treating the condition, the virus' remarkable ability to outwit the immune system means that the recipe for a cure has so far eluded even the world's best researchers.

The latest experiments on mice, the team believes, raise the possibility of a cure, not only for HIV but also for other long-term infections, including hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis. A lot of the work into finding a cure for these illnesses has focussed on trying to use the immune system to

gradually eliminate the virus or bacterium. But the latest research suggests a short, sharp shock is far more effective.