PNA antisense oligonucleotide treatment for HIV/AIDS

[Protoman2050]

I believe I may have posted this before on a slightly less appropiate subforum, so I'm moving it here.

 

Your expert opinion is greatly needed!!!

 

Synthesize a peptide nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotide for HIV’s gag gene’s mRNA. The reason for using PNA is that it is substantially more resistant to enzyme degradation by nucleases and proteases. The reason for choosing the gag gene is that it’s proteins, p24, p17, p7, and p6, code for the basic physical infrastructure of HIV; w/o these key proteins, there is no HIV. Then, encapsulate the oligonucleotides in liposomes studded w/ anti-CD4mAbs. This will ensure 1) toxicity is limited—cf Ambisome, the liposomal preperation of amphotericin B—2) the biologic goes only where it’s needed, which is the cytoplasm of CD4+ T-cells. Decorating the liposome w/ anti-CD4

mAbs will trigger endocytosis, in my limited knowledge, at least. I predict low toxicity and high efficacy in reducing the patient’s viral load to hopefully 0 copies/ml.

 

 

Maybe, when I'm doing my PhD or MD dissertation --a long ways off, see

below--, I could do it on this, patent the resulting product --ie the PNA oligonucleotide itself--, and license it to Genentech or Hybridon for further development into a marketable biologic.

 

 

What are your thoughts? Should LNA instead of PNA be used? Cell- penetrating peptides vs. liposomes? Targeting the gag gene vs. targeting the pol gene? anti-CD4 mAbs vs. anti-gp160 mTcRs --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artific...ell_receptor -- as drug targeting devices? Are there any publications about this subject?

 

Here's another possible anti-HIV biologic: synthesize an anti-gp160 mTcR linked to caspase-3 --or something that'll result in an apoptosis signal be transmitted, like DISC, or FasR...cell signalling confuses me--, which should induce the apoptosis of any cell which contains the HIV protein gp160. I'm not so good w/ mTcRs and cell signalling, could you guys help explain more fully exactly what an mTcR does? I know it's an artificial T-cell receptor, and it modifies the responses of T-cells, but beyond that...

 

How effective do you think these two biologics would be in treating HIV/AIDS?

 

And, just for fun, what do you think the USAN names would be for

these biologics? Brand names?

 

 

BTW, if this helps you answer, I'm a 16.5 year old community college

freshman who hopes to have a career as a physician-scientist.

 

 

Thanks!!!!