In general, majority of people with HIV infection also have HSV-2 infection. A recent study conducted by U.S. researchers revealed that Acyclovir, a drug used for suppressive therapy among HSV-2 patients, does not diminish HIV risk when taken by patients infected by HIV.

A related research was done at the University of Washington in Seattle. The research was conducted among 3,408 African HIV couples, in which only one partner had HIV. Among all the couples, the partner who had HIV likewise had HSV-2 infection. The study was conducted at 14 areas across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In the initial analysis of HIV transmissions determined by laboratory testing to have occurred within the couple and not contracted from an outside source, there were 41 infections in the acyclovir arm and 43 in the placebo arm. According to the researchers this finding does not post a significant difference. The researchers also concluded that HSV suppressive therapy may prevent only a few HIV-1 transmissions per person-year of treatment. Its use as a prevention appears to be limited.  However, further studies into Acyclovir’s effect on rate of CD4 cell count decline and the effect of higher dosing schedules is warranted to date.

Researchers said that the cytomegalovirus, a herpes virus, may be a major cause of hypertension. It is actually a herpes virus that affects about 60 to 99% of adults worldwide. CMV seems to aggravate inflammation in blood vessels, causing hypertension. It was a significant finding that may spur a new approach to treating a disease that affects roughly one billion people globally.

The findings offer the first direct evidence that CMV causes persistent infection in blood vessels. Doctors generally prescribe generic drugs such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors to control blood pressure. But Dr. Clyde Crumpacker, who worked on the study, proposed that vaccines and antiviral drugs may offer a new perspective at treating hypertension.

To date, there is no vaccine, but several drug companies, including Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Vical, are working on it. Swiss drug giant Roche Holding manufactures an antiviral drug called Valcyte to prevent CMV infections in transplant patients.
CMV and Diet

Most adults would have been exposed to CMV by age 40; however, majority will remain asymptomatic. But the virus poses a threat in immuno-compromised patients, such as transplant recipients, and it is a leading cause of birth defects in newborns whose mothers were infected during pregnancy.

In a separate study conducted by Dr. Crumpacker, his findings strongly suggest that CMV infection and high cholesterol diet may be working in tandem to induce hypertension.

In another study of kidney cells in CMV infected mice, researchers found elevated levels of renin, the enzyme which causes hypertension. They also found high levels of renin in human blood vessel cells infected with CMV.

The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) multifunctional regulatory protein ICP27 travels between the nucleus and cytoplasm in its duty as a viral mRNA export factor. Arginine methylation has been shown to regulate this protein export. ICP27 contains an RGG box and has been proven to be methylated during viral infection. Researchers found by mass spectrometric analysis that three arginine residues within the RGG box were methylated.

In simple terms, this methylation process needs to be stopped or modified to prevent successful replication of HSV infected cells. For this purpose, the the methylation inhibitor adenosine dialdehyde or a possible analog can be utilized for the treatment and prevention of HSV-1.  It would become possible to prevent further herpes 1 replication and outbreaks.

Scientists Find Cellular Process That Fights Herpes Virus

Scientists discovered a new way for the body’s immune system to fight the  virus responsible for cold sores: Type 1 herpes simplex (HSV-1).  A group of virologists from the University of Montreal in partnership with American counterparts, have identified a cellular activity that detects and combats the herpes virus.

Their study revealed that once human cells are infected with Type-1 herpes simplex, the virus becomes inactive but comes back because it has the ability to hide and evade attack by the body’s immune system.  A breakthrough came when the team was able to identify a cellular mechanism that can detect and attack the virus while it is in hiding. The team discovered that the nuclear membrane of an infected cell can unmask Type 1 herpes simplex and prod the immune system to get rid of the virus.

The research team is now focusing on how the activation of the herpes-combating cellular process could be applied to other diseases. The outcome could expedite the development of therapies to prevent other immune-evading bacteria, parasites and viruses. Luc English, the lead author of the study, said that their goal is to further study the molecules involved in the mechanism to eventually develop therapies against diseases such as HIV or even cancer.  Now that the unique mechanism in cells that activate immune response to Type 1 herpes simplex is identified, scientists are one step closer to constituting new treatments that can activate the defense against HSV and other viruses. It may not be possible to completely eliminate Type 1 herpes simplex in people who are already infected, but future therapies may be able to keep the virus in its dormant state.

Potential good news for herpes sufferers comes after Australian group Starpharma Holdings Ltd recently announced the successful completion of a fourth set of patient trials of VivaGel®, a topical microbicide being developed for the prevention of HIV and HSV-2 herpes virus infection.

In this fourth phase of testing, involving twelve healthy women volunteers aged between 18 and 45 years, the object was to explore the length of time VivaGel’s antiviral activity was retained after vaginal administration and by implication how long before sexual activity it could be applied to prevent infection. Preliminary findings indicate that VivGel was tolerated well, underlining the results of three previous trials, two in women and one in men, showing the gel to be safe.

Vaginal samples were taken from each volunteer up to 24 hours after five separate applications of VivaGel® and the samples are currently undergoing testing for anti HIV and anti HSV-2 viral activity. The full trial results will be available following full and thorough analysis, and are expected within two months.

The trials were carried out at Melbourne’s Centre for Clinical Studies. Dr Jackie Fairley, Chief Executive Officer of Starpharma commented: “We consider this trial to be very valuable in providing a surrogate for the antiviral efficacy of VivaGel® in humans ahead of Phase 3 studies.” Adding, “The data collected in this trial build upon the already strong package of information we have for VivaGel®.”

Other applications of VivaGel® are currently under assessment, including the prevention of human papilloma virus (HPV) contraception and the treatment of bacterial vaginosis.

A 56 year old San Francisco woman has been awarded a $7 million personal injury payout after contracting genital herpes from her 77 year old lover.

The woman’s lawyers claimed the defendant had known for 25 years that he had genital herpes, but failed to disclose this fact to the plaintiff before having sex with her. The offense was compounded by the fact that he failed to use a condom.

According to medical specialists, condom use, which is strongly advised by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) for people with genital herpes to avoid infecting their sexual partners, is 95% effective in preventing the transmission of STD’s.

The woman, who was denied health insurance once she discovered she had contracted genital herpes, was awarded $2.75 million in punitive damages with a further $4 million in compensatory damages by the jury at Riverside County Superior Court.

Because of the sexual nature of the case, the judge ordered the names of both the plaintiff and the defendant, together with the specific case number, to be withheld from the public domain.

Source: Associated Press

AlphaVax, the biotechnology company, has signed a $20 million partnership deal with pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop an experimental herpes cure vaccine for the cytomegalovirus, a type of herpes virus.

Cytomegalovirus herpes infections can pass from mother to child and about 30,000 babies are born infected each year. About eight thousand of these babies go on to develop permanent disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is currently no herpes vaccine available to prevent infection, but at least one potential competitor drug is being trialed in patients with weakened immune systems.

Novartis, which has bought the rights to develop AlphaVax’s herpes prevention vaccine, has agreed to pay late-stage development costs and could become an investor in AlphaVax under the terms of the deal.

AlphaVax, founded in 1997, has already attracted more than $125 million in private equity investments and grants, but as yet enjoys no product sales revenue and with three of its development programs at the clinical trial stage, needs a corporate partner like Novatris to provide ongoing funding for herpes prevention or cure.

As part of its deal with AlphaVax, Novartis also acquired first refusal to negotiate a second partnership, for a respiratory virus vaccine still in the testing stage.

Novartis has been following AlphaVax’s development progress for some time, according to Karen Huebscher, global head of business development and licensing at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. Both companies have been working on similar technologies, but Novartis did not have a herpes vaccine in its development portfolio prior to this deal.

The market for a Cytomegalovirus herpes prevention vaccine, targeted as it is particularly at transplant recipients and teenage girls, is likely to be significant.

Novartis will oversee development of herpes vaccines from its research headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.