In primis, I am not a scientist, therefore my knowledge regarding biology is somewhat restricted to basic high school science, sorry :S
In secundis, I would like to open up with a relatively easy question. Have scientists finally found a cure for HIV? Most of people will answer NO! However it seems that either they are mistaken or that I am totally out there, for, I keep reading all over the internet how scientists in different countries of the world are finding/have found remedies for HIV.
Here are some of the articles I have read: the first one is about two scientists in Huston, Texas who claimed to have found the weakest link of HIV calling it the Achilles ankle. Basically, given that the virus mutates very quickly they in fact found a part of it which does not change, hence attacking that part prevents the virus to infect new healthy cells. Here's the link:
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-01-voa59.cfm?CFID=57488499&CFTOKEN=89573885
Furthermore, an american pharmaceutical company, Pancos, is also seeking a cure. The bevirimat (PA-457) seems once again a "new" medicine or "breakthrough" for the battle against the bug. Bevirimat is merely a drug called Maturation Inhibitor, which obstructs a late process of HIV Gag protein, rendering HIV infective cells unable to infect healthy human cells. Here's a link to the website of the company itself: http://www.panacos.com/product_2.htm
Moreover, I have also read about a laser therapy against the bug. Nonetheless I won't go into details about it, for I have not understood that one well enough.
To sum up, my main wondering is: what is truly going on? I mean, it seems that giant steps have been taken by science, but on the other hand I still do not see the white small plastic can with written HIV drug on it, at the local chemist. I understand that new drugs must go through trial levels, and that it takes long, but how long? How many years are we looking at, before we can finally say I would rather get HIV then Gonorrhea!
Thank you in advance,
Stefano.
