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View Full Version : A New Drug Blocks HIV From Entering Cells


/////AMG
07-14-2005, 09:17 AM
The first major breakthrough in finding the cure for HIV/AIDS doesn't get much publicity in the Americas, though.

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.

Source: asahi.com and Science Daily
b_t
07-14-2005, 09:26 AM
Wow that is great news if it actually works! Could be BS though...
Johnny@CustomAuto
07-14-2005, 01:37 PM
That would be the biggest medical news for the last 30 years.
2.4l
07-14-2005, 05:43 PM
FUCKKKK YEAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
BerserkerCatSplat
07-14-2005, 06:40 PM
So this is more of a vaccine than a cure? It prevents the HIV from affecting the cells, but it didn't say anything about cells already infected.

That certainly is a major breakthrough, though!
GoChris
07-14-2005, 06:47 PM
Originally posted by BerserkerCatSpl
So this is more of a vaccine than a cure? It prevents the HIV from affecting the cells, but it didn't say anything about cells already infected.

That certainly is a major breakthrough, though!

cant you sorta get like a blood transfusion? thus reducing the amount of HIV infected cells? plus you are always making new blood, so eventually wouldnt the HIV cells sorta die off?
JTI
07-15-2005, 01:54 AM
Originally posted by GoChris


cant you sorta get like a blood transfusion? thus reducing the amount of HIV infected cells? plus you are always making new blood, so eventually wouldnt the HIV cells sorta die off?
It's a virus, it won't die off. It just keeps multiplying. One minute virus is enough to multiply and spread.
duffspec
07-15-2005, 07:49 AM
I hope it's true. I wonder if the drug will be affordable for people without health care? :thumbsup:
abyss
07-15-2005, 08:01 AM
Originally posted by hung_lo

It's a virus, it won't die off. It just keeps multiplying. One minute virus is enough to multiply and spread.

However with this new drug, it would affect the protein attached to the virus, the virus won't be able to replicate anymore. It needs those cells to copy the RNA, so say you rid most of the infected T-cells, this new drug should stop the AIDS from reproducing. That's HUGE!
GoChris
07-15-2005, 08:37 AM
Originally posted by hung_lo

It's a virus, it won't die off. It just keeps multiplying. One minute virus is enough to multiply and spread.



Originally posted by abyss


However with this new drug, it would affect the protein attached to the virus, the virus won't be able to replicate anymore. It needs those cells to copy the RNA, so say you rid most of the infected T-cells, this new drug should stop the AIDS from reproducing. That's HUGE!


exactly what I was thinking, how can it multiply if the cells block it :) sounds huge if it works. so basically it would be a cure to stop the transmission of it.
JTI
07-15-2005, 03:08 PM
Originally posted by abyss


However with this new drug, it would affect the protein attached to the virus, the virus won't be able to replicate anymore. It needs those cells to copy the RNA, so say you rid most of the infected T-cells, this new drug should stop the AIDS from reproducing. That's HUGE!

You are absolutely correct. I was quoting GoChris when he was asking about the transfusion. That will still do nothing from protecting the cells from HIV. However this new drug sounds very promising.
ken-gsr
07-15-2005, 03:16 PM
that is great news. could be the best medical break through in history
JTI
07-15-2005, 04:53 PM
Originally posted by GoChris






exactly what I was thinking, how can it multiply if the cells block it :) sounds huge if it works. so basically it would be a cure to stop the transmission of it.
Ok, I completely misunderstood your post. I thought you were just talking about transfusion alone and not the drug. We are on the same page now. ;)
Zero102
07-15-2005, 11:21 PM
That is cool. It would make a very effective treatment if it is true. I hate to say it, but even if they can treat HIV, it's just a matter of time until a new virus that's just as bad comes around. That said, curing HIV would be an amazing thing. Plus, once they find a way to cure HIV, they will be that much faster curing the next one...

Big :thumbsup: to these guys if it's not BS!
ex1z7
07-16-2005, 12:08 AM
Oh, this shit'll be SO expensive for people suffering from AIDS/HIV, the government makes so much money off people with AIDS/HIV as it is, why would they want to cure it?

But now that it's available, they'll jack the price up to make more money. I think anyways.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: to helping with a cure
crazydriver
07-16-2005, 09:02 PM
This is increditable news for sure
:thumbsup: to those researchers
b_t
07-16-2005, 10:35 PM
This is old news now (err not really old, but old in internet time). Why I haven't I seen it in the paper?? Did the original come from a dependable source?
Pacman
07-17-2005, 03:55 AM
Originally posted by ex1z7
Oh, this shit'll be SO expensive for people suffering from AIDS/HIV, the government makes so much money off people with AIDS/HIV as it is, why would they want to cure it?

But now that it's available, they'll jack the price up to make more money. I think anyways.


Would you mind explaining your logic?

The pharmaceutical companies are the ones that decide what the price of the drugs will be..........and that price depends on numerous factors, such as the investment into the research and development of the drug, the cost to produce it, as well as the # of years remaining on the patent.