[CDB]

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...507070204.html

New drug blocks HIV from entering cells

07/07/2005

The Asahi Shimbun








A durable new drug that prevents HIV from entering human cells and causes almost no side effects has been developed by a team of researchers at Kumamoto University.

The new drug, code named AK602, was reported by the research team's leader, Hiroaki Mitsuya, at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Kobe on Tuesday.

The drug's main feature is that it shuts out the AIDS virus at the point when it tries to intrude into a human cell.

Current AIDS medicines can lose their effectiveness in a few days when the virus changes and develops a resistance to those drugs. But AK602 is different because it reacts to human cells instead of attacking the virus, Mitsuya said.

He said the drug sticks to a protein called CCR5 that acts as an entrance into human cells for the AIDS virus. When the new drug becomes attached to the protein, it can prevent HIV from entering, and thus stop the virus from spreading. The researchers conducted clinical tests on 40 AIDS patients in the United States. AK602 not only proved effective against viruses that had become resistant to other drugs, but it also caused almost no side effects, the team said.(IHT/Asahi: July 7,2005)

[CDB]

I found this over at IronMass.com, just to give credit where it's due. Sounds like an interesting approach that could possibly be utilized for other, nonmedical purposes.

[weeenisss]

thats big news..its basically the foot in the door for curing any type of viral disease.

[velikimajmun]

There are a ton of competive inhibitors in the works many of which are further along in development than this one. They won't cure HIV as HIV can use a good few receptors other than CCR5 (there are also CXCR4 inhibitors in the works as well). Also int hat article they are trying to say that resistance doesn't develop to these types of drugs, which is pure BS. My wife's research is on resistance that has developed to these drugs in the early clinical efforts. This drug class will be a great tool, but don't expect it to cure HIV because it won't and nobody in the field is claiming that.

[hamper19]

I am thinking along the lines of vaccine here, nevermind a cure.

[velikimajmun]

Originally Posted by hamper19

I am thinking along the lines of vaccine here, nevermind a cure.

I'm currently involved in measuring the CD8 response in an HIV vaccine trial. I honestly believe we aren't going to see anything effective in the next 10-15 years. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it. Literally hundreds of potential vaccines have been tried and none have been even remotely effective.

[yater]

Hey,

Who is that girl in avatar ?

Thanks