Austrian researchers develop potential AIDS treatment breakthrough

Austrian researchers have developed a treatment that could spell a breakthrough in the treatment of AIDS, the Krone newspaper reported on Monday.

The research duo of Thomas Szekeres, a human geneticist who also serves as President of the Vienna Medical Association, and Walter Jaeger, a pharmacist, said the arduous research project spanned 15 years.

Jaeger said while it was "full of setbacks", there were also often "new hopes", and they are now satisfied with the research results and ready to make them public, Xinhua reported.

The research is based on a substance known as resveratrol, that occurs naturally in grapes as a means of defence against fungi and bacteria.

Based on this substance as well as a similar artificially developed chemical compound known as "M8", Szekeres conducted research into a substance, that Jaeger then developed, that is to inhibit the growth of HIV.

"We have meticulously proven this in human cells. And if is effective there, it can also begin healing processes in human HIV sufferers," Szekeres said according to the report.

The researchers were assisted in the project by several Canadian institutes such as the McGill University AIDS Centre and the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research affiliated with the Jewish General Hospital.