In an effort to study how methamphetamine disrupts the immune system, UB researchers have received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Madhavan P.N. Nair, Ph.D., professor of medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is heading the five-year project that focuses on the interaction of methamphetamines and dendritic cells on the human immune system. Dendritic cells are known to play a key role in the initiation of the immune response.
The relationship between methamphetamine and the immune system is rather close, according to Nair. Researchers say methamphetamine creates a disruption in the immune system causing it to weaken, leaving recreational users more vulnerable to infections like HIV.
If the theories of Nair and his colleagues are correct, methamphetamine is a catalyst to the development of the HIV infection by mixing with specific proteins that cause a disruption in the immune system.
"Meth can reduce the (effectiveness of the) immune system, so that infection can affect more," Nair said.
According to Nair, the number of methamphetamine users is increasing on a daily basis, therefore putting more and more people in danger of contracting these infections.
"The meth users will increase (their) susceptibility to HIV infection," Nair said. "People who are already infected, if they abuse the drug... will have a higher disease progression toward AIDS."
Some of the long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse include heart failure, brain damage and stroke. Beyond the physical effects, the drug can also impair judgment. The purpose of the experiment is to come up with a way to stop the increasing methamphetamine abuse rate.
"The idea is to create inhibitors to get rid of meth," Nair said. "An antagonist drug to block meth will reduce the sexual activity of a user."
"People are having unprotected sex because they forget or don't consider proper precautions," Nair said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
