NIH科学家的艾滋病毒机理新发现

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February 11, 2008, 9:02 am
Researchers Peel Back Another HIV Mystery
Posted by Sarah Rubenstein

After last year’s disappointing news about the failure of Merck’s once-promising HIV vaccine, there’s progress on a new front. This past weekend brought word that government scientists discovered another method HIV uses in its attack, reports this morning’s New York Times. The finding could open the door for new approaches to stop AIDS, the paper reports.

A team headed by veteran HIV researcher Anthony Fauci (pictured), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, found a human receptor — a molecule called integrin alpha-4 beta-7 — that helps guide the AIDS virus to the gut after it enters the body. The gut becomes a key place for the virus to replicate.

When scientists determine the role that human molecules play in making a home for HIV, that can in turn create opportunities to develop drugs to stop the process. For instance, Pfizer last year came out with Selzentry, a drug that blocks the CCR5 receptor, which acts like a doorway that lets the virus inside the cell.

Some experimental drugs that block the integrin alpha-4 beta-7 receptor are being tested for the treatment of autoimmune disorders, the Times writes, adding that Fauci said the medicines should also be checked for their potential to treat AIDS. Fauci said one candidate is Biogen Idec’s Tysabri, already approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis.

A report on the latest findings can be found in the journal Nature Immunology.

纽约时报载文 科学家发现HIV 新受体

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/1 ... r=1&oref=slogin

自去年一度被寄予厚望的默克公司爱滋病疫苗研发失败后，又有了新的前沿进展。今天早上纽约时报报道说上周未传出国立机构的科学家发现了HIV病毒侵袭的另一种途径。报告说这可能为治疗AIDS开辟了一个新的手段。一个由国立反态反应和感染性疾病研究所主任，资深HIV研究专家Anthony Fauci领衔的研究小组发现了一个人类受体分子：整合素a-4 b-7，这种受体在HIV病毒侵入人体后帮助引导病毒定位到消化道。消化道成为HIV病毒复制的一个关健地方。当科学家们确定这人类分子在HIV病毒定居中所起的作用后，就能有机会开发出相应的药物去阻滞这个过程。
比如，辉瑞公司去年开发的趋化因子5受体阻滞剂Selzentry，趋化因子5受体在病毒入侵细胞过程中起道了通道的作用。一些试验性的阻断整合素a-4 b-7受体的药物正试用于治疗自身免疫性疾病。纽约时报引用Fauci的话说这些药物也应试用于治疗爱滋病，其中一种侯选药是Biogen Idec’s Tysabri, 已被批准用于治疗多发性硬化症。