One day there may just be an ointment that will effectively prevent the spread of HIV and it could all be due to a protein living in a coral reef off Australia's coastline.
Researchers at the Molecular Targets Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research are investigating whether a newly discovered protein class is a potential solution to stopping the HIV virus from entering T-cells and could be potentially applied in a cream or lotion fashion.
"It's always thrilling when you find a brand-new protein that nobody else has ever seen before," said senior investigator Barry O'Keefe, Ph.D., deputy chief of the laboratory. "And the fact that this protein appears to block HIV infection-and to do it in a completely new way-makes this truly exciting."
The protein is called cnidarins and was found after scientists screened thousands of extracts.
The news comes as scientists and researchers are still hunkered down in the quest to stop AIDS and HIV. While the number of sufferers has dropped over the decades it remains a threat to those who insist on having unprotected sex.
According to The Global Fund 34 million in the world are living with HIV, with two thirds residing in Africa. The number of deaths related to AIDS was 1.7 million in 2011, a big drop from 2.2 million in the mid-2000s. The organization states 700,000 AIDS relaed deaths were averted in 2012.
Researcher Koreen Ramessar, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute, said cnidarins may prove to be an invaluable solution, as it may not impact other HIV treatment methods.
"When developing new drugs, we're always concerned about the possibility of undermining existing successful treatments by encouraging drug resistance in the virus," said O'Keefe. "But even if the virus became resistant to these proteins, it would likely still be sensitive to all of the therapeutic options that are currently available."
Researchers now hope to work on developing new ways to create the protein in huge quantities for further investigation on possible side effects.
"Making more of it is a big key," said O'Keefe. "You can't strip the Earth of this coral trying to harvest this protein, so our focus now is on finding ways to produce more of it so we can proceed with preclinical testing."
