TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have announced the creation of a new drug candidate that is so potent and universally effective against the virus that cause AIDS. The finding is publsihed on the journal Nature February 18 edition.
The study described that the new drug candidate blocked every strain of HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) that has been isolated from humans or rhesus macaques, including the hardest-to-stop variants. It also protects against much-higher doses of virus than occur in most human transmission and does so for at least eight months after injection.
"Our compound is the broadest and most potent entry inhibitor described so far," said Michael Farzan, a TSRI professor who led the research, as quoted by Science Daily. "Unlike antibodies, which fail to neutralize a large fraction of HIV-1 strains, our protein has been effective against all strains tested, raising the possibility it could offer an effective HIV vaccine alternative.”
In the study, macaque models that were inoculated with the drug candidate were protected from multiple challenges by SIV.
SCIENCE DAILY | AMRI MAHBUB