Antagomirs - RNA Molecule Called An Antagomir

Herpes Vaccinations .Com

Antagomirs - Herpes Vaccine - Acyclovir

Antagomirs - One promising avenue of herpes treatment is being studied by scientists at Duke University. It involves a man-made RNA molecule called an antagomir, which may activate dormant copies of the herpes virus.

Antagomirs interfere with the replication of DNA and RNA. You may remember DNA and RNA from high-school biology. Both are forms of a molecule called a nucleotide. DNA stores the genetic code of most living organisms. RNA is used to translate the DNA code into proteins. However, in viruses, RNA can itself be the genetic coding material.

Research has pointed to a synthesize antagomir RNA molecule which actually shifts the reproductive schedule of the herpes simplex virus. Normally, a colony of viruses is a mix of active and dormant particles. Antagomirs can be administered to cause all viruses to become incapable of remaining dormant. That’s important, because the viruses are only vulnerable in the active phase. So a two part attack would be to first activate all the viruses in an infection site, then hit them with an antiviral agent.

A special form of RNA, called microRNA, is responsible for creating the dormancy state in the herpes simplex HSV-1 virus. Basically, the microRNA suppresses the virus temporarily, causing it to go dormant for a while. The Duke researcher Professor Bryan Cullen, believes that a antagomir drug can be developed to interfere with the virus microRNA, so viruses will no longer go dormant, and thus be continuously vulnerable to anti-viral agents such as acyclovir.

A scenario where this might be effective would be in treatment of a cold sore. By applying the combination of drugs (the antagomir and the anti-viral) directly to the sore, the infection site could be wiped out.

As of March 2010, Prof. Cullen was projecting another five years of animal studies which, if promising, could lead to human testing perhaps as early as 2015.

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