A cure for HIV?

[amadeus]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...12.waids1212/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/

Rutgers researchers may have stopped HIV

Piscataway, N.J. — Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a trio of drugs they believe can destroy HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to a published report.

The drugs, called DAPYs, mimic the virus by changing shape, which enables them to interfere with the way HIV attacks the immune system.

Tests conducted in conjunction with Johnson and Johnson have shown the drug to be easily absorbed with minimal side effects. It also can be taken in one pill, in contrast to the drug cocktails currently taken by many AIDS patients.

“This could be it,” Stephen Smith, the head of the department of infectious diseases at Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, said. “We're all looking for the next class of drugs.”

A research team led by Rutgers chemist Eddy Arnold pre-published details of the most promising of the three drugs, known as R278474, last month in the electronic edition of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Full details will be published in the journal in early 2005.

Dr. Arnold, 47, has worked at dismantling the AIDS virus over the last 20 years. He uses X-ray crystallography, a technique to determine the structure of molecules, the smallest particles that can retain all the characteristics of an element or compound.

The research has targeted reverse transcriptase, a submiscroscopic protein composed of two coiled chains of amino acids. It is considered HIV's key protein.

“Reverse transcriptase is very important in the biology of AIDS,” Dr. Smith said. “If you can really inhibit reverse transcriptase, you can stop AIDS.”

The optimism about R278474 stems from its potential to interfere with an enzyme that the virus needs to copy and insert itself into a human cell.

“We're onto something very, very special,” Dr. Arnold said.

Dr. Arnold established his lab at Rutgers' Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine in 1987. His current 30-member research team is partnered with Johnson and Johnson subsidiaries Janssen Pharmaceutica and Tibotec-Virco NV.

An important advancement in Dr. Arnold's research came in 1990 when Belgian scientist Paul Janssen was added to the collaboration. Dr. Janssen, considered a drug pioneer, published a paper that year that described a new drug that blocked reverse transcriptase but caused resistant strains of the virus to pop up too quickly.

Dr. Janssen sought out Dr. Arnold, who used crystallography to detail the structure of RT. Their work ultimately led to the RT inhibitors.

“We may eventually win the war against HIV/AIDS. That would be an extremely rewarding and satisfying outcome,” Dr. Arnold said.

Let's hope this is true, although sadly I'm not expecting any big surprises.

 

[Atlas14]

HIV mutates so often and in so many different ways. Would the cure work for all or only specific variations of the virus?

 

[SeleucusNicator]

HIV mutates so often and in so many different ways. Would the cure work for all or only specific variations of the virus?

If I skimmed the article accurately, this inhibits reverse transcriptase, which, if it mutated, would no longer be reverse transcriptase and would fail to serve the purpose that it serves for HIV. So, no, mutations would not be helpful for the HIV virus.

 

[betazed]

I can see how stopping production of reverse transcriptase will stop HIV. In fact it will stop all retro virus. But is the drug stopping all reverse trascriptase production in cells? Does that not harm the cells as such (ie. don't the cells require that for something)? Not sure.

 

[dgfred]

I can see how stopping production of reverse transcriptase will stop HIV. In fact it will stop all retro virus. But is the drug stopping all reverse trascriptase production in cells? Does that not harm the cells as such (ie. don't the cells require that for something)? Not sure.

@ betazed- I vote we put you on the case, for study and analysis , the perfect one for the job.

 

[Bronx Warlord]

Stop useing Heroin, Stop having unprotected sex, Start being smart.

Poof, no more HIV.

Now mind you all these steps requite a fifth grade education to comprehend.

 

[storealex]

Many in Africa never went to school...

 

[Azadre]

Stop useing Heroin, Stop having unprotected sex, Start being smart.

Poof, no more HIV.

Now mind you all these steps requite a fifth grade education to comprehend.

Because people with HIV SHOULDN'T have children...

 

[betazed]

In another story it seems scientists have been too hasty in using AIDS drugs. We may have tested a drug prematurely in Africa.

Ironically, this same incident (of an untested drug being used in Africa, in this case a Oral polio vaccine which was tainted with a simian virus) may have caused AIDs to break out on humanity. At least that's how one theory of AIDS breakout goes. A good book on that is this one.

@dgfred: Then who would write all that code for my company?

 

[Mark1031]

Does that not harm the cells as such (ie. don't the cells require that for something)? Not sure.

No it's a purely viral product, not found in higher organisms.

 

[betazed]

No it's a purely viral product, not found in higher organisms.

In that case, Cool!

 

[Yom]

I can see how stopping production of reverse transcriptase will stop HIV. In fact it will stop all retro virus. But is the drug stopping all reverse trascriptase production in cells? Does that not harm the cells as such (ie. don't the cells require that for something)? Not sure.

Perhaps. I don't think that the human cell will ever need to translate RNA into DNA though. Especially considering the fact that it would have to add thousands of introns (which outnumber the exons 10:1). It deserves some research, but I doubt the scientists would research a drug that blocks an essential function of cells.

 

[Mark1031]

It's a good target but with all cronic infections it needs to be blocked continously for the rest of your life and it is very hard to design chemicals without off target side-effects. Also current drugs also target RT and they are not a cure, there is unlikely to be a cure as the virus becomes part of your genome.

 

[samildanach]

It's a good target but with all cronic infections it needs to be blocked continously for the rest of your life and it is very hard to design chemicals without off target side-effects. Also current drugs also target RT and they are not a cure, there is unlikely to be a cure as the virus becomes part of your genome.

Yes. But the pathology of HIV is to kill helper T-cells which results in AIDS. The infected cells will die eventually. If these drugs can prevent the incorporation of HIV into as yet uninfected T-cells then IMO it might be possible for HIV to be cleared from the system.

The infected T- cells will eventually be rendered invalid by the virus hijacking the cells machinary to copy itself. The drug stops the virus from infecting new cells and the already compromised cells die off. T-cells proliferate rapidly, so long as the drugs are present those T-Cells that are infected will not spread it to any other cells apart from ones they may give rise to. Healthy T-Cells will out grow the infected, eventually in time all the infected will be dead IMO. A selective pressure in action.

 

[Mark1031]

Well that is certainly the hope but with the triple cocktail they have gotten to no detectable virus for some time and whenever they stop the drugs the virus reappears. I certainly hope it works but I wouldn’t want to generate false hope. Also RT is a target for current drugs so while this may be a better drug than the nucleoside analogues I don’t see why it should be a magic bullet.

 

[Shadylookin]

This is good news, it's probably not the cure but baby steps in the right direction are better than nothing

 

[samildanach]

Well that is certainly the hope but with the triple cocktail they have gotten to no detectable virus for some time and whenever they stop the drugs the virus reappears. I certainly hope it works but I wouldn’t want to generate false hope. Also RT is a target for current drugs so while this may be a better drug than the nucleoside analogues I don’t see why it should be a magic bullet.

Hmm. ...well it might be a case of bio-availability. Can the drugs cross the blood-brain barrier and so on. If the drugs can't get to where the virus is and apply the necessary pressure to cells that may be acting as reservoir of infection, it's not much of a leap forward. Still, I suppose taking one pill a day for the rest of your life is better than having to take a whole medicine cabinet.

 

[carlosMM]

Stop useing Heroin, Stop having unprotected sex, Start being smart.

Poof, no more HIV.

Now mind you all these steps requite a fifth grade education to comprehend.

Please, give your money to schools in Aftrica.
Please, use all your influence to shut up the Pope.
Please, explain how we can keep our standard of medical care without blood donations.

 

[Scuffer]

If I skimmed the article accurately, this inhibits reverse transcriptase, which, if it mutated, would no longer be reverse transcriptase and would fail to serve the purpose that it serves for HIV. So, no, mutations would not be helpful for the HIV virus.

It really depends on the interaction between the drug and RT. It may turn out that the drug affects a part of RT structure that is absolutely fundamental to its action, in which case resistance is less likely. Or it may be fairly simple. E]

Either way, good work Rutgers University

 

[Scuffer]

Stop useing Heroin, Stop having unprotected sex, Start being smart.

Poof, no more HIV.

Now mind you all these steps requite a fifth grade education to comprehend.

I like it! Reduce the entire spectrum of human behaviour and experience into a simple cause and effect flowchart!

Oooooh! I've got one too! Stop killing people, Poof, no more war.