Scientists at the University of Liverpool are leading a project to produce and test the first nanomedicines for treating HIV/AIDS.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) the project aims to produce cheaper, more effective medicines which have fewer side effects and are easier to give to newborns and children. The new therapy options were generated by modifying existing HIV treatments, called antiretrovirals (ARVs). The University has recently produced ARV drug particles at the nanoscale which potentially reduce the toxicity and variability in the response different patients have to therapies. Drug nanoparticles have been shown to allow smaller doses in other disease areas, opening up possibilities to reduce drug side-effects and the risk of drug resistance. Commenting on the project, Professor Steve Rannard, from the University’s Department of Chemistry, said: “Nanomedicines are being used daily to treat a range of conditions around the world. There are, however, no current nanoparticle HIV therapies that are providing this kind of patient benefit. This project is the first step towards taking the nanomedicine options that we have developed out of our labs and into the clinic, representing a significant milestone in the development of new HIV treatments. “If we can demonstrate real potential from our planned clinical work with healthy volunteers at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, then our collaboration partner, IOTA NanoSolutions, will take forward the further development and clinical validation of the ARV drug particles in HIV patients. We also aim to test new formulations for children in developing countries, offering HIV patients around the world the prospect of safer, more effective treatments.” The new HIV therapies offer particular hope for treating children with HIV, which affects 3.4 million children under the age of 15 years in Sub Saharan Africa. About 90% of infected infants acquire the virus through mother-to-child transmission. Without treatment one-third of children die within their first year of life. Currently, there are very limited childappropriate HIV drugs available and existing treatments carry a range of risks for the infant including under or over dosing. The new HIV nanomedicines from the Liverpool team disperse into water, which will make them easier to administer, particularly to newborn babies.
