Researchers Finding May Boost Effectiveness Of Anti...( CD4cells themselves Kim said. As m...),Health

Drugs are already available to suppress the activity of Pgp. They have been developed over the past 10-20 years because Pgp is also expressed by many cancer tumors. Pgp inhibitors have been used to boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy in these tumors.

Kim said he would like to study the effectiveness of combining protease inhibitors with Pgp inhibitors to determine if higher levels of the anti-HIV drugs can be achieved in the bloodstream and in the cerebral spinal fluid by reducing the barrier function associated with Pgp.

"This work is exciting because the potential of Pgp as a factor in drug absorption and tissue penetration has not been previously appreciated," Kim said. "We need to find out in humans how active this transporter is and whether we can inhibit its activity.

"HIV probably has multiple ways to hide out, and the one we're suggesting is that Pgp protects it from drug exposure. Ultimately, the hope is that if we can remove HIV's sanctuaries, we can begin to hope that we've killed all of the virus and that maybe we can have a cure."

'"/>

Contact: Matt Scanlan
matt.scanlan@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
615-322-4747
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
15-Jan-1998