J220:
It just gives me so much hope when I read articles like this.
I wonder what kind of drugs would work to bind to PIP2, and what level of toxicity they would have?
J220:
I sent the staff at HHMI an email asking for any other information they might have on this. I also read on Dr. Summer's bio that he identified a new class of compounds that inhibit a key protein involved in the transformation of HIV into its mature form. Let's hope all this leads to great things! J.
J220:
Okay I've learned that the people behind this discovery are already working on a possible deal with a pharmaceutical company to develop this. They have preliminarly identified a substance that seems to inhibit PIP2, the chemical signpost that hiv uses to attach to cellular membranes.
If this works, we are looking at a drug that would effectively block hiv from infecting cells, and not be subject to resistance issues. Fingers crossed.
J.
blondbeauty:
Thats great news. But we have to be realistic. If this substance works it is still 10 years far in time.