New Research Tools to Develop Drugs against HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS and is one of the most infectious diseases, with millions of people infected each year and a high mortality rate. Thus, great effort is still being invested in understanding HIV and the >$30.5 billion HIV drug market continues to grow.

In recent decades anti-retroviral treatment has significantly increased the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients, however, long-term therapy is still affected by drug resistance mutations, the high genetic diversity of the virus and unwanted side-effects. To overcome these obstacles, recently identified targets to inhibit the HIV life cycle are being studied which could enable development of improved drugs and therapies.

Background

HIV proteases (HIV-1 & HIV-2 PR) represent a potential target to block HIV replication. They are retroviral/virus-encoded proteolytic aspartyl proteases and essential for the HIV life cycle. HIV infection results in synthesis of several polyproteins in the host cell, including HIV proteases required for post-translational cleavage of certain precursor polyproteins into the functional products needed for viral assembly. Without this process, HIV virions remain uninfectious.

HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases (HIV-PR1 and HIV-PR2) not only differ in their specificity for peptide substrates (i.e. the cleavage site sequences in the viral precursors) but also with regard to their inhibitors. Sequence differences between HIV-PR1 and 2 are likely responsible for differing efficacy of inhibitors, and the resistance of HIV to many current drugs.

The essential role HIV proteases play in HIV replication has made them a major target for drug therapy and several protease inhibitors have already been licensed for HIV therapy as antiviral drugs. These HIV protease inhibitors specifically bind to the active site and block the enzyme’s activity. As a consequence, viral particles lacking active proteases are not able to mature into infectious virions.

PromoCell offers a range of products to study HIV replication and to develop effective therapies to fight AIDS. As HIV proteases are potent and promising therapeutic targets, we provide HIV-1 & HIV-2 Protease Activity Assay and Inhibitor Screening Kits as well as a range of biochemicals that can also be used as HIV Protease Inhibitors, e.g. as positive controls in assays.

We also supply CD4 recombinant protein and a choice of antibodies (and the respective blocking peptides) directed against HIV glycoproteins, e.g. the virus surface proteins gp41 & gp120 which enable study of viral cell entry via attachment to CD4.

Product List

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Related Assays

HIV Related Antibodies & Blocking Peptides

HIV Related Recombinant Cell Surface Proteins

Biochemicals (HIV Protease Inhibitors, Anti-HIV Compounds)*

*Soon available on our website, please contact us for more information

Cells & Media

Related Products

Moreover, we supply a huge variety of Cytokines & Growth Factors as well as the corresponding ELISAs & Antibodies for Immunology/Innate Immunity (e.g. to detect cytokine storm and acute inflammation).

In addition, PromoCell provides a wide range of assays to study Cell Health & Viability , Oxidative Stress, Cell Metabolism & Signaling and Cell Migration & Phagocytosis.

Please visit also our page summarizing our immunology research tools.

Please note: All products are for research use only and not for in vitro-diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.