Most promising HIV Cure

[Gmanfromthechi]

Hello all,

With all this talk of anal, bareback cocksucking, and the horrible threat of HIV/AIDs, I decided to do a search an see what the hope was for a cure. I came across this article, which looks extremely promising...

http://www.aidsnews.org/2007/10/kp-1461.html

Here is a small bit from the page...

So Dr. Eigen developed the concept of viral quasispecies, and suggested that if you hypermutate the virus, you could push it to the state of non-viability; you could exceed error permissiveness, you could bring about an error catastrophe in the population, and the virus would collapse. This theory has been out there for a while; Eigen published during the 1990s. And scientists from the University of Washington and MIT, (Jim Mullins, the HIV virologist, Larry Loeb, a DNA polymerase expert, an MD PhD also at University of Washington who studies mutations and cancer, and a chemist at MIT, John Essigmann), came up with the idea of fashioning a drug that could induce mutations in HIV, and helped develop KP-1461. Several series of in vitro experiments were done in cell cultures, using a very nasty strain of HIV, a homogeneous, highly fit virus. And after an average 15 serial passages, that virus was irreversibly extinguished -- repeatedly. Repeated, published experiments have demonstrated that you can collapse the viral population with KP-1461.

You and I both know that none of the HIV drugs currently marketed have been able to extinguish the virus in laboratory cultures, and certainly not in humans. They may be very potent inhibitors, but when the drug is taken away, the virus re-grows. That did not happen with KP-1461. It's distinguishing feature, from a therapeutic perspective, is that it is capable of viral eradication in vitro. We don't know if that will happen in humans; this is exactly what the current phase II clinical trial is designed to determine.



Basically what they're saying, is that they've found a way to mutate the virus is a way that it starts cranking out shitty copies of itself (errors), and eventually the virus collapses on itself. Its a big change in direction, and looks promising. Thoughts??

[peggygee]

Those that have been following a cure for HIV / AIDs may recall this:

Cure for HIV found by Rutgers University?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rutgers researchers may have stopped HIV

Associated Press


UPDATED AT 9:37 PM EST Sunday, Dec 12, 2004


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.

[Gmanfromthechi]

Interesting article peggy. I find it very exciting that after so long an so many lives, there might finally be a cure to this.

Surprising no one else besides peggy replied. Considering this is a problem potentially facing all members on this board, I would have thought more people would have an opinion. Guess not.

[bob69]

It might have something to do with the fact that most people don't want to think about hiv/aids.....or that we have heard so many times how this drug or that one is on the verge of curing/fully repressing the disease.

[trish]

Two fascinating approaches. I know next to nothing about biochemistry or medicine so I’ve nothing really to add to this discussion, though one thing struck me when reading Gman’s synopsis of the KP-1461 mutagin. The question is this: how is it possible for an unviable mutation to thrive via natural selection and spread through a population causing its eventual extinction? Here we are to imagine the population exists within just one human body. One might expect those mutations that can’t survive in the body would be the one’s that go extinct and the original virulent virus would survive. If anyone else finds this aspect of the article intriguing and enjoys a little bit of mathematics, may I recommend starting with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_catastrophe

I never heard of error catastrophe in populations before. Thanks for the learning experience.

[Gmanfromthechi]

I see what your asking trish. I *think* what they're saying is this new drugs attaches itself to the virus itself, along with the new copies its producing. I just woke up so I might have read that wrong, but I think thats the general idea.

Bob...I agree fully and its just somethin people dont like to talk about. Frankly, I dont either, but you have to remember that a lot of times its ignorance that causes one to catch the HIV. Plus, its kinda nice and a lil reassuring knowing that there is somethin on the horizon. I kno we've all seen promising drugs, but the fact that this is going a totally different route is exciting.

Think about it ya'll. We could all live the lifestyle we like, an kno that if something were to happen, theres a cure!

[Quinn]

Some interesting reading, folks. Your posts on this matter are definitely appreciated.

-Quinn

[peggygee]

Two fascinating approaches. I know next to nothing about biochemistry or medicine so I’ve nothing really to add to this discussion, though one thing struck me when reading Gman’s synopsis of the KP-1461 mutagin. The question is this: how is it possible for an unviable mutation to thrive via natural selection and spread through a population causing its eventual extinction? Here we are to imagine the population exists within just one human body. One might expect those mutations that can’t survive in the body would be the one’s that go extinct and the original virulent virus would survive. If anyone else finds this aspect of the article intriguing and enjoys a little bit of mathematics, may I recommend starting with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_catastrophe

I never heard of error catastrophe in populations before. Thanks for the learning experience.

Trish, you make me think of symbiosis: the living together of unlike
organisms in a close, long-lasting association, when you put forth that
theory.

Ideally if the virus existed in the body, and didn't potentially lead to an
acceleration in symptoms ie AIDS, thus by killing it's host, the virus kills
itself.

Not a real smart virus, though it does have the ability to mutate, and in
fact there are many different strains of HIV, therefore a person can
become re or cross infected with another strain.

[MrsKellyPierce]

this all looks promising.