Desarrollan medicamento de amplio espectro contra las cepas de influenza A H1N1 y H5N1

La compañía bio-farmacéutica Lakewood-Amedex Inc., (L-A), la cual se dedica a preparar agentes antinfecciosos, está desarrollando un protocolo único de productos tanto antivirales como antibacterianos como NuBiotics, una nueva familia de compuestos antibacterianos sintéticos, y de productos antivirales contra la hepatitis, el VIH y la influenza. La compañía anunció hoy que está acelerando el desarrollo de su producto de amplio espectro contra la gripe en los estudios clínicos.

El producto Lakewood Amedex nRNA trabaja silenciando selectivamente genes en el genoma viral. La compañía está trabajando sobre el exitoso estudio anterior en modelos animales donde, ratones infectados con el tipo H1N1 del virus de influenza A recibieron dos dosis del producto L-A nRNA y todos sobrevivieron, mientras que en el grupo control y en el placebo, todos los ratones murieron dentro de seis días. Además L-A publicó anteriormente un estudio que demuestra la eficacia de su tecnología contra la letal cepa H5N1 de la “gripe aviar” en la que una sola dosis dentro de la nariz del producto nRNA de la compañía, protegió al 100% de los pollos infectados, mientras que todos los pollos tratados con placebo, murieron dentro de siete días.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162152.php

Steve Parkinson, L-A’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We had intended to develop our broadly applicable influ-RNA product to treat seasonal flu and as an emergency stockpile product in the event of a further outbreak of avian influenza, but due to the escalating global H1N1 pandemic and now the report of this virus having been isolated from turkeys in Chile, we feel it is critical to have a product that can target multiple strains of influenza and is useable year after year.”
Mr. Parkinson explained that the L-A product does not work like a vaccine that stimulates the human host immune system to produce antibodies targeted at the specific viral strain composing the vaccine. Instead the nRNA product contains several short oligonucleotide sequences that are mirror images to unique sites on the viral mRNA from the viral replicative genes. When the nRNA comes into contact with its specific target, it hybridizes with the viral mRNA locking this mRNA up and preventing production of vital viral replicative proteins. Deprived of these, the virus is unable to multiply itself and rendered unable to spread and infect other cells.

Paul DiTullio, chief scientist for Lakewood-Amedex said, “We are essentially shutting the virus down in the infected person. By targeting the highly conserved replicative genes we have a product that should be useable for years even if the virus mutates. We are also hitting several genetic sites and the chances of them all mutating in the same season is minimal. Even if the H1N1 strain does undergo recombination with the deadly H5N1 strain our product will still shut it down.” DiTullio added, “That is the limitation with vaccines. They stimulate antibody production in the host against the surface antigens of the virus but unfortunately it is the surface antigens that mutate most of the time requiring a new vaccine to be developed. Our product works independently of surface antigen mutation.”

Mr. Parkinson commented, “The Company intends to complete its pre-clinical data package and enter human clinical trials as quickly as possible. We are talking to government agencies and potential partners and hope soon to have a universal anti-influenza product as an alternative to seasonal vaccines.”