HIV

[qbeing1010]

Is it conceivable that this technology could be used against HIV? I know there's not as much money to be made there vs. HBV&HCV, but it seems like a win against HIV would really put ARWR on the map.

[mudbug021]

Dec 14, 2015 17:23:11 GMT -5 qbeing1010 said:

Is it conceivable that this technology could be used against HIV? I know there's not as much money to be made there vs. HBV&HCV, but it seems like a win against HIV would really put ARWR on the map.

I would assume they could develop a drug to turn off the HIV disease. 

However, I think it has more to do with a timing issue. As you point out there really isnt a lot of money to be made due to the larget number of companies already developing effective drugs, along with ARWR limited budget. This is not to say ARWR will never develop a drug but for now they need to concentrate on getting a drug to market and get some kind of cash flow in order to start a drug like that. 

One other possibility is if an out side source or company offers to pay for the trials. The issue that might come along with that idea is ARWR would be very restrictive about accessing  the drug development process where DPC is concerned. 

[Think2Succeed]

Dec 14, 2015 17:23:11 GMT -5 qbeing1010 said:

Is it conceivable that this technology could be used against HIV? I know there's not as much money to be made there vs. HBV&HCV, but it seems like a win against HIV would really put ARWR on the map.

I agree with mudbug021 that the HIV drug development market is overcrowded and ARWR should focus on drugs that could come fast on the market (like AATD which has no approved treatment hence the orphan drug designation) and bring in some cash. HIV while a very attractive target is also a very difficult virus to beat (just like HBV). Can RNAi attack it ? Is it possible that sometimes in the future ARWR will try to go after HIV ? Yep to both.

Here's some relevant paragraphs I found in researching the chances of RNAi as a technology to treat/cure HIV in the future:

"Abstract

The versatility of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and its evolutionary potential to elude antiretroviral agents by mutating may be its most invincible weapon. Viruses, including HIV, in order to adapt and survive in their environment evolve at extremely fast rates. Given that conventional approaches which have been applied against HIV have failed, novel and more promising approaches must be employed. Recent studies advocate RNA interference (RNAi) as a promising therapeutic tool against HIV. In this regard, targeting multiple HIV sites in the context of a combinatorial RNAi-based approach may efficiently stop viral propagation at an early stage. Moreover, large high-throughput RNAi screens are widely used in the fields of drug development and reverse genetics. Computer-based algorithms, bioinformatics, and biostatistical approaches have been employed in traditional medicinal chemistry discovery protocols for low molecular weight compounds. However, the diversity and complexity of RNAi screens cannot be efficiently addressed by these outdated approaches. Herein, a series of novel workflows for both wet- and dry-lab strategies are presented in an effort to provide an updated review of state-of-the-art RNAi technologies, which may enable adequate progress in the fight against the HIV-1 virus.
.............

Conclusions

Collectively, RNAi technology can be employed to moderate the activity of genes within living cells. However, since HIV-1 mutates at extremely high rates, targeting for inactivation is difficult using traditional techniques based on gene conservation, as is the case in mammals. Consequently, the efforts of RNAi antiviral research focus on a combinatorial RNAi-based approach, where multiple HIV-1 sites are targeted. Wetlab approaches evolve quickly, and data accumulation is becoming a major issue within the field. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges in antiviral RNAi science is to appropriately handle, mine, and analyze huge amounts of genomic data that have recently become available through an expansion in RNAi database sizes. En masse, some glimmers of hope in the battle against the elusive HIV-1 virus come from the field of RNAi technology, where wetlab, bioinformatics, and biostatistical methodologies are combined in an effort that will inevitably yield invaluable results.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662398/

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