According to Eugene Seymou, who serves as Chief Executive Officer at NanoViricides, a company developing unique nanomaterials for viral therapy, the company plans to improve its HIVCide candidate using its lead optimization technology.
Nanovircides recently completed the animal study that evaluated its HIVCide, an anti-HIV candidate, against a highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART) triple drug cocktail. Several enquiries about the study results have been received by the company.
According to NanoViricides, its anti-HIV nanoviricide attaches to virus element by imitating the structure of the cells to which the virus attaches. This mechanism of the anti-HIV nanoviricide is different from HAART therapy regimens’ current components. The company expects that its HIVCide could support almost all kinds of HAART therapy regimens as well as offer more therapeutic benefits. The resulting combination therapy can be used as a functional cure for HIV/AIDS.
A functional cure is the most wanted objective of current HIV/AIDS therapy. The treatment procedure allows the HIV-infected patient to discontinue the curing process and return to routine life until the reactivation of HIV by the sleeping reservoir cells having HIV retroviral DNA. By using the same therapy or an alternative course of therapy, a new disease-free period could be offered to the patient. This is similar to the current herpesviral infections’ treatment procedures, which offer disease-free periods to the patients until next recurrence of herpesvirus as they do not completely eradicate the virus.
According to NanoViricides, by using its lead optimization technology, its HIVCide candidate can be enhanced quickly. The company anticipates that the ensuing drug therapy developed through such enhancements would offer significant additional benefits.