Breakthrough in Injectable HIV Drug
An injectable HIV medication featuring a groundbreaking mechanism was awarded Breakthrough of the Year on Thursday by the prestigious U.S. journal "Science."
TroibNews 
An injectable HIV drug with a unique mechanism was recognized on Thursday as the Breakthrough of the Year by the influential U.S. journal "Science."
The drug, lenacapavir, targets the structure and function of HIV's capsid protein, providing protection for six months with each injection.
In contrast to traditional HIV medications that disrupt viral enzymes by binding to their "active sites," lenacapavir works by interacting with the capsid proteins that safeguard the viral RNA, as detailed by Science.
Many researchers focused on HIV/AIDS are optimistic that this drug, developed by the American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, will significantly reduce global infection rates when utilized as pre-exposure prophylaxis.
A large efficacy trial involving African adolescent girls and young women reported in June found that these injections lowered HIV infections to zero, which translates to a 100 percent efficacy rate, according to Science.
The broader adoption of lenacapavir as pre-exposure prophylaxis, and its potential to accelerate the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, hinges on issues related to access, delivery, and demand. Regulatory approval is not anticipated until at least the middle of 2025, as noted by Science.
Other significant breakthroughs highlighted by Science this year include new methods to unleash immune cells on autoimmune diseases, insights from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope into the cosmic dawn, the introduction of the first RNA-based pesticide, the identification of unique nitrogen-fixing compartments in marine algae cells, the emergence of a new type of magnetism, a discovery suggesting the existence of simple multicellular eukaryotes dating back 1.6 billion years, mantle waves shaping continents, the SpaceX Starship's successful "chopstick" landing, and ancient DNA revealing familial connections.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
The drug, lenacapavir, targets the structure and function of HIV's capsid protein, providing protection for six months with each injection.
In contrast to traditional HIV medications that disrupt viral enzymes by binding to their "active sites," lenacapavir works by interacting with the capsid proteins that safeguard the viral RNA, as detailed by Science.
Many researchers focused on HIV/AIDS are optimistic that this drug, developed by the American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, will significantly reduce global infection rates when utilized as pre-exposure prophylaxis.
A large efficacy trial involving African adolescent girls and young women reported in June found that these injections lowered HIV infections to zero, which translates to a 100 percent efficacy rate, according to Science.
The broader adoption of lenacapavir as pre-exposure prophylaxis, and its potential to accelerate the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, hinges on issues related to access, delivery, and demand. Regulatory approval is not anticipated until at least the middle of 2025, as noted by Science.
Other significant breakthroughs highlighted by Science this year include new methods to unleash immune cells on autoimmune diseases, insights from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope into the cosmic dawn, the introduction of the first RNA-based pesticide, the identification of unique nitrogen-fixing compartments in marine algae cells, the emergence of a new type of magnetism, a discovery suggesting the existence of simple multicellular eukaryotes dating back 1.6 billion years, mantle waves shaping continents, the SpaceX Starship's successful "chopstick" landing, and ancient DNA revealing familial connections.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
