From Our 2009 Archives Liver-Targeted Drug Stops Hepatitis C
Durable DNA Molecule Blocks Hepatitis C Virus in Chimp Study
Daniel J. DeNoon Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD Dec. 3, 2009 --
Hepatitis C virus can't get a grip on the livers of chimps
treated with a new antisense DNA drug. The drug, dubbed SPC3649,
doesn't attack the hepatitis C virus (HCV) itself. Instead, it
blocks the tiny RNA molecules in the liver -- microRNA-122 or
miR-122 -- that the virus must use to make new copies of itself.
HVC causes disease only when it can replicate to high liver
concentrations. HCV levels drop 350-fold in chimps treated with
SPC3649, find Robert E. Lanford, PhD, of San Antonio's Southwest
foundation for Biomedical Research and colleagues. "The drug
worked exceptionally well in treating HCV infections in
chimpanzees," Lanford said in a news release. In an email to
WebMD he said, "We were very excited with the outcome." The
researchers studied four chimps chronically infected with HCV
genotype 1, the most common HCV strai