The end of the AIDS pandemic?
Scientific breakthrough: Spanish researchers managed to block the reproduction of the AIDS virus
Serg Kite, gearmix.ru based on TG Daily: Breakthrough discovery blocks AIDS virus replicatingAccording to the respected academic publication Angewandte Chemie IE (Gonzalez-Bulnes et al., Structure-Based Design of an RNA-Binding p-Terphenylene Scaffold that Inhibits HIV-1 Rev Protein Function), a group of Spanish scientists managed to synthesize a substance capable of ending the AIDS pandemic.
The newly developed synthetic molecules inhibit the release of virus genetic material from the nucleus of an infected cell into the cytoplasm, thus virus replication is blocked and avoids infection of other cells.
The genetic material of the AIDS virus, or HIV-1, is given by ribonucleic acid (RNA), and encodes several proteins that allow it to enter human cells and reproduce in them. New virus inhibitors, the so-called terphenyls, were developed using a computer to investigate the interactions of one of the proteins encoded by the virus, namely the viral protein Rev.
Terphenyls attach to REV receptors in viral RNA, preventing interaction between the protein and its RNA receptor. This interaction is necessary for the genetic material of the virus in order to leave the nucleus of an infected cell and, thus, is very important for the survival of the HIV-1 virus.
The fact that terphenyls block viral genetic material prevents infection of other cells.
Traditionally, pharmaceutical companies have focused on developing drugs that act on target proteins, since the approach to RNA receptors is much more complicated.
Although some natural antibiotics act at the ribosomal level, until now, no one has been able to design a new synthetic chemical compound with the help of a computer that can attach to the target RNA and have the appropriate pharmacological effect. The terphenyl structures identified in this study may open up new ways to achieve other therapeutic goals.
Considering that according to WHO (2010) there are more than 34 million people infected with AIDS in the world, the development of Spanish scientists is more than relevant.
At the moment, it is undergoing the stage of obtaining a patent.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru04.12.2013