Posts tagged antiviral medicine
Soy Sauce And HIV
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Soy Sauce and HIV: Japanese Condiment Sheds New Light
Antiretroviral drug therapies are the key treatments used against HIV today. Such therapies have proven effective and have turned the tide on the virus increasing both life expectancy and quality of life. Yet, it is common for patients suffering from HIV to develop a resistance to some of the therapies of choice. This can be a real problem as substitute therapies are usually harsher and not quite as effective. Soy sauce and HIV, four words that we wouldn’t usually see in combination, may present a solution.
A few years ago, a Japanese company was looking to enhance the flavor of their soy sauce. The discovery of a new compound led to further investigation. It turns out that what they had found was a compound similar to what is currently used in antiviral therapies. The difference with this compound and typical therapies for HIV is in how the compound works against HIV and, especially, in its ability to escape detection from the virus.
The new compound, EFdA, is a nucleoside analogue that tricks the virus and halts reproduction. Compounds such as the ones used in treatment look like the building blocks used by HIV to replicate and spread. The imposter compounds, however, thwart this process thus stunting the spread of the virus. Benefits of EFdA include its ability to remain unnoticed by the virus. Unlike presently used molecules, HIV has not been able to resist their attacks.
Ongoing research continues to show good results. The complexity of its structure is currently the focus of study. There is a sort of ‘key’ that unlocks the compound and sets it off to do its job. Figuring out how the compound is structured will help researchers unlock its potential and put it to use. It is hoped that this will spawn newer, more effective treatments that can last for years without the virus developing resistance. Soy sauce and HIV, who would have known?
Interfering with HIV
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
Interfering with HIV: Nef and HIV
Although progress against HIV has been slow, we seem to be in a new era, as we are beginning to reap the benefits from our years of research. Certainly, advancements have been made across the board. Perhaps this can best be illustrated by the lengthened life expectancy for people diagnosed with HIV. Increased life expectancy is the result of a number of factors. Some of these factors are greater understanding of the disease, new therapies and, especially, the effective cocktail of antiretroviral drugs that is now available. Many of these therapies are directly interfering with HIV and its ability to infect cells, thus keeping HIV from progressing to AIDS. Certainly, living with a chronic condition such as HIV, instead of facing a terminal illness, is a major advancement.
As stirring as this reality is, there is always the need for better treatment options. Moreover, as the fight against the disease has progressed, researchers are now facing viral mutation of HIV. This has led to certain strains of HIV that are developing resistance to antiretroviral therapies. This difficult challenge facing researchers has led to an exciting discovery; one which could lead to new drug therapies.
Nef is a protein that is not new in HIV research. However, it has received renewed focus as alternative mechanisms of HIV infection have been uncovered. Nef has an important role to play in the infection of cells, as it binds itself to other proteins in a cell. When this happens it then becomes impossible for anything else to enter and infect that cell. Because of a more complete understanding of this process, researchers now believe it may be possible to take advantage of the protein. The idea is for a drug to enter and bind with Nef, thus disabling HIV’s ability to infect other cells. We might describe this as an ‘immobilizing’ tactic. Moreover, this should work with already developed therapies. This type of therapy has an added benefit, as it would not have to harm the human cell. This is because the drugs would be targeting the HIV protein site.
New pharmaceuticals could be created effectively interfering with HIV and its ability to further infect the cell. Having this ability would make treating HIV much more effective. When we add to this the fact that healthy cells would not be affected, it is easy to see why researchers are so excited.
HIV and Drug-Resistant Mutations
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Research
HIV and Drug-Resistant Mutations
Antiretroviral therapies have come a long way in the treatment of HIV. Not only does the treatment slow the progress of the disease, in some cases even preventing AIDS for developing for years, it also allows for a rather normal life. This is all good news, and medical researchers are hoping that this upward trend continues. There is, however, a downside to the antiretroviral therapies being used. That is, HIV and drug-resistant mutations, or, in other words, viral mutation. Thankfully, the reason this mutation occurs may have been recently discovered.
A research team was imaging HIV and viewing computer models, in an effort to understand how and why these mutations were happening. HIV works by invading a host cell and then implanting its own blueprint into the cell’s information center. When this happens, the virus then programs the cell to make replicates of the virus, instead of a healthy human cell. Specific details that occurred during these complex procedures were noted. The team observed how certain common HIV drugs interact with the virus. In doing so, they came to some conclusions that may help explain why these HIV and drug-resistant mutations occur.
For example, when transferring information into the healthy cell, the drug attaches itself and creates a sort of bridge. The information that the HIV is trying to pass on is then put on this salt bridge. It then slides to and fro. Transfer of this important information becomes difficult and, usually, ineffective. This frustrates the replication of the HIV. Mutations seem to occur on the part of the virus in an effort to stop the bridge from forming. New, drug-resistant strains of HIV can prevent the bridge from being put up. This allows the virus’s information to be transmitted into the host cell, ultimately causing infection to occur.
Knowledge is power, so goes the saying. Scientists are delighted to have a new understanding of how and why these HIV and drug-resistant mutations occur. Armed with this information, they are increasingly confident that they can successfully create new medications that will counter the effects of mutated strains of HIV.
New Antivirals Show Promise
10 years ago
Researchers have pored over thousands of compounds to discover two that show great potential in providing antiviral properties. Study at the atomic level has revealed that they are able to fight a particular enzyme that is the key to eliminating viruses.
This rational approach to designing drugs for medicinal use may see more action due to the possible success of this research. More than 100,000 compounds were observed in an atomic manner, running through the national database of compounds to see which have the right properties for this particular application.
There is a tremendous need for antivirals today. Everything from HIV to the common cold will be affected by finding the right antiviral compounds to produce the next generation of medications. Antivirals can be used to prevent pneumonia or AIDS from cutting a life short prematurely, putting them at the top of the medical research industry’s to-do list.
There are over 50 different strains that cause adenoviruses; therefore it is difficult to find a single compound that is effective against all of them. Rather than being able to develop something preventative, it seems more viable to create drugs that can prevent the spread of diseases within the body. This has already been the approach with HIV up to this point.
Researchers were able to look into many compounds by creating a computation to check the proteins in each compound. This helps determine if the compound can perform certain tasks necessary for an antiviral. Of the 30 compounds that the calculations set aside, only two had the desired effect in lab tests. Still, finding these two compounds is a very promising discovery.
The current roadblock is the size of the two molecules. They are both too big to be used in developing drugs. The next step for researchers is to make things more compact so that they can get to work on drug development.
