Posts
A Chinese team said
Monday that test results assessing the potency of a molecule to block HIV from
entering human cells are “encouraging.” University of Hong Kong (UKH), Nanjing
University, and City University of Hong Kong researchers, working with Shanghai
Targetdrug Co., said the TD-0680 molecule could be developed for a microbicide
to “prevent HIV sexual transmission” - the cause of more than 90 percent of HIV
infections in China.
Such a gel would give
people, particularly women, an “alternative method to protect themselves from
the virus, in addition to condoms,” said Zhiwei Chen, director of the AIDS
Institute of UKH’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. “The ideal solution is to develop
an effective vaccine. Since such a vaccine remains elusive, we must explore
other strategies such as topical microbicide,” he said.
According to the
team, TD-0680 is several times more potent than maraviroc, an antiviral
developed by Pfizer and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for
clinical treatment.
The study, “CCR5
Antagonist TD-0680 Uses a Novel Mechanism for Enhanced Potency Against HIV-1
Entry, Cell-Mediated Infection and a Resistant Variant,” was published online
in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (2012;doi:10.1074/jbc.M112.354084).
The Friends of AIDS
Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive
individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread
of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please
visit:
http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
