A novel approach that could dramatically slow down the spread of HIV by sexual contact
A precisely designed macromolecule that mimics the binding of HIV to immune system cells could be used to stop the virus from physically entering the body, according to a new study led by a materials scientist at Queen Mary University of London.
The researchers created the large molecule with several sugar molecules, known as glycopolymers. By using different sugars attached to the macromolecule in solution, the scientists were able to investigate which sugar molecules were the most effective in inhibiting the potential binding of the virus.
They then measured how the designed macromolecules compete with the virus to bind to the dendritic cells of the immune system at different concentrations.
“These are preliminary but encouraging results for potentially preventing the spread of the HIV by sexual contact,” said Dr Remzi Becer from Queen Mary’s School of Engineering and Materials Science.
“We’ve shown that our synthetic molecule binds to the immune cell, which in turn blocks the virus from attaching and entering. The precisely designed macromolecules could be an ingredient of a condom cream or vaginal gel to act as a physical barrier from allowing the virus into the body.”
The Latest Bing News on:
Designer macromolecules
- Agilent Broadens Polymer Offerings with New Acquisitionon August 5, 2022 at 10:36 am
Agilent has now expanded its portfolio in liquid chromatography and the GPC/SEC market with its recent acquisition of Polymer Standards Service.
- University of Virginia: Research To Replicate Human Tissue Earns A Half-Million-Dollar Granton August 3, 2022 at 9:43 pm
Polymers are big molecules that string together many different building blocks and play so many important roles in medicine and engineering,” said Letteri, an assistant professor of chemical ...
- Seeking a Research Scientist (22W02)on August 3, 2022 at 1:50 pm
catalyst design, natural product synthesis, and π-conjugated molecule synthesis. Molecules of interest includes everything from small molecules to macromolecules and biomolecules. In the mid- to ...
- Novel technology enables cell-protecting transfection of proteins and other macromolecules into living cellson August 2, 2022 at 4:45 am
For basic research, diagnostics and therapy, there is a need for a simple method to introduce macromolecules, such as antibodies, into living eukaryotic cells. The new method enables an ...
- Stimulus-responsive Macromolecules and Nanoparticles for Cancer Drug Deliveryon July 30, 2022 at 5:00 pm
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed ...
- Stimulus-responsive Macromolecules and Nanoparticles for Cancer Drug Deliveryon July 20, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Once macromolecules or nanoparticles have accumulated ... A somewhat different approach seeks to design 'smart' carriers that can expose, unshield or activate a targeting moiety in a drug carrier ...
- Macromolecules flex their muscleson July 1, 2022 at 6:57 pm
The dream of many scientists working on nanomachines is to design molecular systems that can behave like this. The goal is to make molecules that can, in response to some trigger, change their ...
- Evgueni E. Nesterovon September 3, 2019 at 9:16 pm
Kei, P.; Howell, M. T.; Chavez, C. A.; Mai, J. C.; Do, C.; Hong, K.; Nesterov, E. E. Kinetically controlled formation of semi-crystalline conjugated polymer ...
- IBM Is Working on a Molecule That Could Eradicate Viruseson May 22, 2016 at 10:54 am
The macromolecule that's now been developed attracts ... "It's almost a daunting task to design any kind of therapeutic for a virus," lead researcher James Hedrick of IBM Research explained ...
- Central Alabama High-Field NMR Facilityon August 20, 2015 at 7:13 am
The primary research areas of the NMR Facility include structural elucidation of biological macromolecules and complexes of biological ... as focused research in drug-discovery and biomaterials design ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Designer macromolecules
The Latest Bing News on:
Synthetic molecule
- Synthetic Biology Market Global Outlook and Forecast 2022-2027: Significant Rise in Investments Fueling Sector Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.comon August 5, 2022 at 5:29 am
The global synthetic biology market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 25% during 2022-2027. Synthetic biology is a new interdisciplinary field that includes the application of engineering principles to ...
- U.S. Small-Molecule APIs Market Research Report to Grow at 10.66% Through 2027on August 5, 2022 at 1:23 am
Molecule APIs Market Research Report by Production (Contract Manufacturing and In-house Manufacturing), Type, Application, State - United States Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" ...
- 1st synthetic mouse embryos — complete with beating hearts and brains — created with no sperm, eggs or wombon August 4, 2022 at 9:49 am
This is the first time such embryos have been made. For the first time, scientists have created mouse embryos in the lab without using any eggs or sperm and watched them grow outside the womb. To ...
- Synthetic mouse embryos created from stem cells — without sperm, eggs, or a uteruson August 3, 2022 at 6:15 am
The advance opens new avenues for studying how stem cells form organs and better understanding how certain mutations drive developmental diseases.
- Small Molecule API Market Valuation Worth USD 279.68 Billion by 2027 at 7% CAGR - Report by Market Research Future (MRFR)on August 1, 2022 at 9:34 pm
Small Molecule API Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), "Small Molecule API Market Information by Type, ...
- New York onion growers can keep yields while cutting chemical useon August 1, 2022 at 10:22 am
A surprise finding from new research on controlling pests and disease in New York commercial onion fields will enable the state's producers to cut their use of synthetic chemicals without sacrificing ...
- Synthetic Polymers Promote Biofilm Formation and Increase Efficiency of Biocatalysison August 1, 2022 at 3:00 am
Scientists from the University of Birmingham have revealed a new method to increase efficiency in biocatalysis. Their method is described in a paper published today (August 1, 2022) in the journal ...
- What Is Synthetic Cannabis? Is It Dangerous?on July 31, 2022 at 9:54 am
You’ve probably never heard of it, but Synthetic Cannabis has made its entry into the market since 2002. It’s sold as an alternative to cannabis. Also known as fake weed, fake marijuana, K2, and Spice ...
- A new path for treating brain cancer, with a Yale-developed compoundon July 28, 2022 at 11:00 am
Yale researchers have developed a new class of molecules that target some of the deadliest brain cancers while sparing healthy tissue along the way.
- The global synthetic biology market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 25% during 2022-2027on July 28, 2022 at 7:59 am
utm_source=GNW Synthetic biology combines the chemical synthesis of DNA with increased knowledge of genetics to enable researchers to quickly create cataloged DNA sequences and assemble them into new ...