Anti-HIV Group 1 Introns And A Method For Curing HIV Infection Of Humans
Tech ID: 11-029
Inventor: Dr. Malcolm Fraser
Date Added: August 22, 2019
Overview
A synthetic Group 1 intron that targets HIV-infected cells and overtime eliminates the virus.
Technology Summary
Currently, there is no cure for HIV infections of humans. While new antiviral drugs and highly active antiretroviral therapy have shown increased success in suppressing active infections, these have not yet proven capable of eliminating the virus from the infected patient. This is largely due to the virus establishing reservoirs of infected tissue from which the virus can reestablish infection.
Dr. Malcolm J. Fraser has developed a synthetic Group 1 intron called αHIV-Grp1 that targets cells that have been infected by HIV. The intron is able to successfully identify the virus within human cells and trigger apoptosis, or natural cell-death, of the infected cell. Cell death prevents generation of new viruses and the restoration of the immune system with cells expressing these antivirals prevents the reestablishment of HIV infection from reservoirs. Over time, reservoirs will be depleted entirely, in effect eliminating the virus and curing the HIV infection. The method for creating αHIV-Grp1, the structure of αHIV-Grp1 itself, and the method of producing stem cells that contain the anti-HIV Group 1 introns are protected by an existing patent.
Technology Readiness Status
TRL 4 - Lab Validation
Intellectual Property
US 9,707,257 (Anti-HIV group I introns and uses thereof in treating HIV infections)
Market Advantages
- Death-upon-infection approach, which eliminates the replication of infected cells
- Has been shown to inhibit HIV infection in both humans (in vitro studies) and animals (in vivo studies)
- Technology can be manipulated for use against other viral infections that remain latent in the human body post-infection
Contact
Richard Cox
574.631.5158