The struggle of people with various viral and infectious diseases like a game of chess. For every action of mankind of viruses and bacteria “invent” the reaction. But in the case of HIV, this game is more like a giveaway, where people act not as the attacking side. But people are not used to give up and continue the battle. The more that significant progress is possible to achieve today. For example, researchers from the University of California and Stanford have created a synthetic molecule that is able to reactivate latent immunodeficiency virus and destroy infected cells.
A group of scientists headed by Matthew Marsden and Jerome Zack has long studied how the destruction of infected cells by stimulating the production of particles that cause a reaction of the immune system, which destroys the infected cell. As it turned out, this “stimulant” may be a molecule bryostatin 1, but it is extremely expensive and difficult to obtain, as it is organic and “prey” is derived from the marine invertebrate bugula species largest.
Thus, the scientists decided to create a synthetic molecule that would be the equivalent of bryostatin 1, and surpassed it on a number of parameters. The resulting molecule was named SUW133. It is, as a natural analogue, can also affect HIV. During a series of experiments on mice revealed that SUW133 stimulates the production of proteins in the infected cells of mice and destroys 25% of them for the first 24 hours.
According to the authors of the study, it has very good prospects, as a result of antiretroviral therapy, the spread of the disease can be stopped, and the virus is able for a long time “hide” in the cells. Therefore, more destruction of the virus, transformed into a latent phase is an extremely important part of the treatment.
Developed a synthetic molecule that kills dormant cells HIV
Vladimir Kuznetsov