You can’t make a monkey out of me. Or, can you? Like HIV/AIDS, HCV has a simian brother, the chimpanzee. They are the only animal besides man that can be infected by HCV. A research foundation in San Antonio uses 35 animals as test subjects, and they do it as humanely as possible. They applied a gene based therapy called blocked nucleic acids to chimps infected with HCV. The therapy does not target the virus, instead it blocks molecules necessary for virus replication. It essentially starves the invader. The results were astounding. A 350-fold viral drop lasted up to three months after therapy was ended. Better yet, no antiviral resistance was demonstrated. Even better, the liver begins to heal itself rather rapidly during therapy. Researchers claim this is a major breakthrough. You must view the CBS-news video. Looks like Cheetah could come to the rescue of Tarzan yet again.
Now it’s time for a disclaimer. Last episode I cited a recent EASL conference report on the interactions of HIV meds and HCV meds. The report stated that there was little interaction. Sources deep inside a major national health care provider now cite a later report. The report found that interactions are a great deal more serious than initially thought. In fact, some HIV meds would need to be dropped or changed entirely during HCV treatment. The HIV protease inhibitor, Darunavir (prezista), for instance appears to be entirely incompatible with both telaprevir and boceprevir. Other compounds for HIV, i.e. tenofovir, may experience rises or depressions in the drugs’ blood levels in the presence of HCV meds that may require dosing adjustments.
Family Health International (FHI) announced disappointing news about women and HIV. The so-called FEM-PrEP trial of emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for preventing HIV infection in at risk women will be stopped after an interim review indicated its effectiveness was unlikely. Once again the ladies get the short straw.
Bavituximab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that targets a certain phospholipid component on the membrane of virus-infected cells. Preclinical studies have shown that this type of antibody can inhibit viral replication and enhance immune response. The phospholipid component expressed on cells infected with a variety of viruses, including HCV, HIV, influenza, and herpes viruses, suggesting that targeted antibodies could be beneficial in a number of diseases. An experimental monoclonal antibody that inhibits HCV replication was safe and well-tolerated in a clinical trial of HIV positive people coinfected with chronic hepatitis C. Earlier studies found that twice-weekly intravenous infusions of Bavituximab of up to 6mg were well tolerated and showed antiretroviral activity in people with HCV.
Say, let’s not abandon the Bavituximab story just yet. Another EASL study released on April 15, found that Bavituximab is well tolerated and safe for co infected HIV’ers. I think we’ll be hearing a good deal more about this compound very soon.
For my final word I’ve selected ‘HCV and the arts’. Is this a co infection issue? Well, yes it is because if you search for films, plays, still-art, etc. for themes on HIV/AIDS, you’ll be overwhelmed with the number of hits. For instance, since 1984 there have been over 120 films with significant or main themes concerning HIV/AIDS from almost two dozen countries. The first known documentary HIV/AIDS film was the United Kingdom’s 1984 release called Bright Eyes. The first American film was titled Buddies released by New Line Cinema, 1985. How about television? NBC did it first in 1985 with its premiere of An Early Frost, which began a series of AIDS as disease-of-the-week movies that presented fictionalized and true stories on such notables as Liberace, Ryan White, and Roy Cohn.
Counter that with a search on the arts and HCV. You’ll find practically nothing, except some very short YouTube informational videos. It’s not for a lack of subject matter. After all Natalie Cole, Naomi Judd, Larry Hagman, and Pamela Anderson all battle HCV. Just in the U.S., more people infected with HCV are alive today than have been diagnosed with HIV – ever. And, HCV is older than AIDS. Discovered in 1988, scientist had been searching for the elusive virus they dubbed hepatitis non-A, non-B since 1975. It begs the question, why has HCV been virtually ignored in the dramatic arts?
One of the things art does is illuminate and inform. Illumination quantifies a difficult subject and informs us on an entirely different, visceral level about it. I don’t have an answer to the question of why one virus is well covered in the arts and the other, cousin virus, is not. So, I won’t ask. That doesn’t mean I can’t speculate. HIV/AIDS was a crash disease in the beginning. Wham, bam, gone! HCV ambles along slowly for many years before reaching another long, drawn out process leading to end stage. One is sensational in its impact, the other not so much, though the paths of each lead to the same destination.
AIDS is sensational because it happens today. HCV is not because it happens tomorrow. HCV remains fairly regular looking for a very long time. With AIDS the downfall was swift and could be readily seen on the faces and bodies of HIV people. Plus, HIV is considered sexual, giving it a certain cachet. Yet, HCV should be included in the conversation that the dramatic arts empower. Is there not a talented play-write, screenwriter, paint artist, or just some bloke novelist with an ear to the obscure out there who can see the ripeness of the HCV struggle? Or, for that matter, HCV and HIV together. What we call co infection.
It’s too much. I think I’ll just go have another banana. Cheetah, who is still alive and living in my town, has offered to be my designated driver.
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