In an article published in the journal “Nature”, researchers explain that they have developed the molecule GS-6207, capable of disrupting HIV replication by targeting the virus envelope. And this, even on strains resistant to current antiretroviral agents.
- The GS-6207 molecule is able to bind to the envelope of the virus and prevent its replication.
- Its action is long-lasting: up to 6 months after an injection.
- It can be used as a treatment and as a preventive measure.
A new stage in the fight against the AIDS virus has just been crossed. While the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) currently has neither a cure nor a vaccine, researchers from the American pharmaceutical company Gilead are at the origin of a discovery which, eventually, could become a new long-acting therapeutic agent.
In a study published in the journal Nature, they explain that they have developed a new molecule capable of targeting the HIV envelope, the capsid, where its genetic material is located. Called GS-6207, the molecule binds tightly to the capsid and disrupts the virus’s life cycle, preventing it from replicating.
Up to 6 months of effectiveness
First tested in the laboratory, the GS-6207 molecule is all the more promising as it has proven effective against several strains of HIV, some of which are resistant to certain antiretroviral treatments.
It was then administered in a clinical trial on 32 patients with HIV-1. A single dose of GS-6207 significantly reduced their viral load (22 to 160 times) in just nine days. In addition, the researchers noticed that the molecule remains in the body for a long time, without the need to re-administer it. Thus, the concentration of product sufficiently effective to inhibit 95% of viral replication was maintained for up to six months, with two subcutaneous injections per year. A significant advantage to help patients follow their treatment.
No marketing authorization yet
However, clinical trials are far from over and its marketing has not yet been approved. New tests are needed to measure the safety of the treatment and the absence of serious side effects. Another test, carried out on 40 healthy volunteers, eight of whom had received a placebo, showed that the molecule caused only moderate and reversible adverse effects in 75% of subjects, such as skin rashes or reactions at the injection site.
According to the authors of the study, the GS-6207 molecule is all the more promising in that it can not only be used as a treatment, but also as a preventive measure in groups at risk, such as the pill. exposure (PrEP). They therefore conclude that it is a “potentially transformative tool in efforts to end the global HIV epidemic”.
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