Some hystory on PrEP which is a very large indication from a very old post but that can provide some perspective:
So, how all of this affects us? Apparently the team at Oregon University have advanced greatly in this area and have determined that a CCR5 blockade can protect from HIV (in macaques which have a good level of homology to HIV-1).
This will mean a very good boost to Leronlimab as a viable PrEP drug; in Dr. Sacha’s own words:
At that time I said: "Can’t wait to see the results of his tests in macaques and his take on Leronlimab as PrEP and a future vaccine"
Well ... apparently Dr. Sacha's results with the macaques are beyond any expectation:
If the macaques study transfer to humans (very likely) this are HUGE news.
Quote:After a failed attempt by Merck & Co (2003 – 2007) that attempted to test a vaccine that was designed to modify the disease course and some argued that the vaccination actually increased the chances that some people would later acquire HIV. Dr. Sacha, among other authors, proposed a CD8+ Tem vaccine for HIV. What they did specifically, was to “create” CD4+ T cells that were predominantly polyfunctional, capable of production of MIP-1β (among others), this being a CCR5-binding chemokine that we know is capable of blocking HIV/SIV infection.
So, how all of this affects us? Apparently the team at Oregon University have advanced greatly in this area and have determined that a CCR5 blockade can protect from HIV (in macaques which have a good level of homology to HIV-1).
This will mean a very good boost to Leronlimab as a viable PrEP drug; in Dr. Sacha’s own words:
Quote:In the absence of a prophylactic vaccine, the use of antiretroviral medications as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV acquisition by uninfected individuals is a promising approach to slowing the epidemic. Unfortunately, negative side effects, viral resistance, and regimen adherence severely limit PrEP efficacy. Therefore, the development of new, highly effective, and long-acting PrEP modalities with high patient uptake is urgently needed. The scientific premise for leronlimab-based PrEP is founded on the long-standing observation that CCR5-deficient individuals are extremely resistant to HIV infection. The results presented here demonstrate that leronlimab treatment is able to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Given leronlimab's excellent safety profile, this finding paves the way for a new, patient-friendly PrEP regimen.
At that time I said: "Can’t wait to see the results of his tests in macaques and his take on Leronlimab as PrEP and a future vaccine"
Well ... apparently Dr. Sacha's results with the macaques are beyond any expectation:
Quote:The study evaluated the impact of a macaque-equivalent dose of either 350 mg (once weekly) or 700 mg (bi-monthly) leronlimab on acquisition of infection in a total of 18 animals, and found that the equivalent 700 mg bi-monthly leronlimab dose completely prevented rectal transmission of Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus (SHIV) in macaques.
If the macaques study transfer to humans (very likely) this are HUGE news.
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