New Inhibitor of HIV-1 Replication, Ubiquitin Like Protein ISG15

The AIDS epidemics are still not limited, especially in the developing countries. The antiviral therapy used in this country is not affordable in the undeveloped countries. In the United States, current technology is ineffective against the generation of drug resistant HIV-1 variants. As such, an alternative therapy is very much needed. The present invention relates to the finding that one of the cellular proteins, ISG15, that is induced during the innate antiviral response to viral infection is an effective inhibitor of HIV-1 replication. The over-expression of this protein in the cells makes them non permissive to HIV-1 replication. Since the inhibition occurs at the level of virus assembly, the present invention relates to a novel compound that inhibits HIV-1 replication of both drug sensitive and drug resistant HIV-1 variants. The invention is not limited to effect on HIV-1 infection but applies also to the whole group of viruses that exploit the cellular endosomal pathways in their replication cycle. This includes retroviruses as well as viruses of A class category such as Ebola virus. Description (Set) Proposed Use (Set) The potential to use ISG15 as an antiviral compound against large number of viruses including HIV-1 and class I virus has profound pharmacological potential.

Inventor(s): Pitha-Rowe, Paula M.

Type of Offer: Licensing



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