HIV drug is coming after all
North Carolina State University researchers have come to a conclusion that adding small particles of gold to a failed HIV drug changes the drug’s ability to stop the deadly virus from destroying the immune system.
The original drug was discovered in the 1990s but was rejected due to it’s dangerous side effects (an ammonium salt being the portion that’s harmful). By removing the „bad“ portion and by adding gold particles to it, the drug prevents the virus to make a cellular foothold. The compound is known as TAK-779.
“The idea is that by attaching these individual molecules of the drug with a weak binding ability to the gold nanoparticle, you can magnify their ability to bind,” says Dr. Christian Melander.
When this drug comes to clinical phases, it will save many lives. That’s a burden for the scientists, but it’s something they should bear. Patients are waiting… This is just another example which shows the great power behind nanomedicine and nanotechnology in general.
